Originally published October 15 2005
Alternative energy sources may be answer to poor nations' energy needs
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Governments have been trying to compensate for more than 1.6 billion people who do not have electricity with fossil fuels, but TomPaine.com reports that the development of alternative energy sources, including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy, is the only realistic way to provide energy for everyone.
Affordable energy services are among the essential ingredients of economic development, including eradication of extreme poverty as called for in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Meeting these energy needs economically and sustainably requires a balanced energy portfolio that is suited to the economic, social and resource conditions of individual countries and regions.
Today, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) released a report concluding that in many circumstances, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy have an important role to play, alongside fossil fuels, in an energy portfolio that supports achievement of the MDGs.
Roughly 1.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity in their homes, representing slightly more than one quarter of the world population.
In recent decades, the energy needs of poor people have been most often met via petroleum-based liquid fuels, and by extension of the electricity grid, which is powered mainly by fossil fuels and hydropower.
These rising prices have had a disproportionate impact on poor people who depend on kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for their basic cooking and heating.
In many poor countries, governments subsidize basic fuels such as kerosene, and the cost of these subsidies has skyrocketed in the past two years---reducing the funds available to governments to pay for education, health care, clean water and other public investments that are essential for meeting the MDGs.
The rapid recent growth in solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy in global, coupled with ongoing technology improvements and cost reductions, is making a growing array of renewable energy options available to help achieve the MDGs.
Renewable energy technologies can also make indirect contributions to alleviating poverty by providing energy for cooking and space heating.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml