ITDG - Intermediate Technology Development Group
Energy for the Poor
Access to basic, clean energy services is essential for sustainable
development and poverty eradication, and provides major benefits in
the areas of health, literacy and equity. However, over two billion
people today have no access to modern energy services.
The issue of energy choice is fundamental to the great challenge
facing the world at the beginning of the 21st century - how to
eliminate the obscene levels of poverty without further polluting the
planet. ITDG believes that there does not have to be a trade-off
between human development and the environment. Millions can be lifted
out of poverty without ruining the planet with the help of clean
sustainable energy.
Power to the People
Three challenges face the international community if they are to meet
the Millennium Development Goals to tackle world poverty:
Energy for cooking: there is an urgent need to address the continuing
dependence on biomass for domestic energy, both to reduce the amount
of time spent collecting fuel and to improve health. Respiratory
infections caused by smoke pollution cause 1.8 million deaths each
year.
Getting electricity to the rural poor: electricity is needed to power
small industry and enterprise, run health clinics and light schools.
Without it, rural poverty will not be eradicated. Decentralised
energy options using local resources - such as wind, biogas, solar
power or micro-hydro - offer many advantages for meeting the needs of
the rural population.
Getting sustainable electricity to the urban poor: increasing numbers
of the world's poor people are living in cities, and many are
dependent on wood and charcoal for their energy needs. A long-term
strategy is needed for a more sustainable supply of energy to poor
urban areas as the rural poor continue to migrate to the cities.
If these three challenges are met, then significant progress will
have been made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
For this to happen, the World Summit on Sustainable Development had
to commit to a plan of action and clear targets to get clean and
sustainable energy to world's poorest people.
Powering Poverty Reduction
In this paper, launched at the International Conference for Renewable
Energies in Bonn, ITDG is calling for international policies that
consider the needs of the poor and ensure that appropriate, workable
and renewable services are promoted.
Read online or download as PDF ~ 344k
http://itdg.org/?id=powering_poverty_reduction
Power to the People - sustainable energy solutions for the world's
poor, ITDG's briefing paper and agenda for change on energy and
poverty Also available to download as a PDF file ~100Kb
http://itdg.org/?id=p2p_paper
Sustainable Energy for Poverty Reduction, ITDG and Greenpeace's joint
Action Plan, which details the steps to be taken at every level in
order to provide modern sustainable clean renewable energy to two
billion of the world's poorest people.
Read a summary or download as a PDF file ~933K
http://itdg.org/?id=energy_action_plan
Two ITDG seminars, both titled Power to the People, were held in
2002, in London in July and at the World Summit in September
Turning off the lights, GATS and the threat to community electricity
in Sri Lanka. The US and EU should halt attempts to pressurise
developing countries to accept electricity privatisation in the
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations so that
low cost community run electricity schemes are protected.
Read online or download as a PDF file ~161K
Smoke - the Killer in the Kitchen
http://itdg.org/?id=smoke_index
Smoke in the home from cooking on wood, dung and crop waste kills
nearly one million children a year. In its report, Smoke: the Killer
in the Kitchen , ITDG is calling for global action to save the lives
of 1.6 million men, women and children lost each year to lethal
levels of household smoke.
* Summary of the report
* Read the report online
* Download the report
* Buy a copy from ITDG Publishing
* Find out more: key questions and answers
Choose Positive Energy
http://itdg.org/?id=choose_positive_energy
ITDG is lending its support to the Choose Positive Energy campaign,
offering a development perspective on the energy problems facing the
world today.
Two billion people have no access to modern forms of energy to supply
basic needs such as cooking, lighting and heating. Instead they rely
on dangerous and polluting energy sources that damage human health
and the environment.
Choose Positive Energy is campaigning to secure a commitment from
world leaders to deliver the funds to bring renewable energy to the
two billion people, to benefit them and the environment.
12 reasons to exclude large hydro from renewables initiatives
http://www.irn.org/programs/greenhouse/index.asp?id=031210.12reasons.html
A report report co-published by 13 organizations working on climate
change, development, and sustainable energy and water management,
including ITDG, gives a dozen reasons why large hydro should be
excluded from global efforts to promote renewable energy.
Further information
Choose Positive Energy, and ITDG's position on taking an
environmental and developmental common perspective
http://itdg.org/?id=choose_positive_energy
* Sustainable Energy for Poverty Reduction
http://itdg.org/?id=energy_action_plan
A omprehensive Action Plan which details the steps to be taken at
every level in order to provide modern sustainable clean renewable
energy to two billion of the world's poorest people. Read a summary
or download as a 933K PDF file
* Powering Poverty Reduction
http://itdg.org/?id=powering_poverty_reduction
International policies must consider the needs of the poor and ensure
that appropriate, workable and renewable services are promoted.
Read online or download as PDF ~ 344k
* Technical solutions to energy needs must be accessible, affordable
and appropriate
* The realities of renewable energy and poverty reduction
* Why energy is fundamental to improving the lives of poor people
Power to the People: sustainable energy for the world's poor:
http://itdg.org/?id=power_to_the_people_paper
* the full ITDG briefing paper on energy and poverty reduction
also available as a 100Kb PDF file
* a shorter ITDG briefing paper on energy and poverty reduction
also available as a 72Kb PDF file
* an ITDG seminar on energy and poverty reduction, 17 July 2002
ITDG at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit)
http://itdg.org/?id=wssd_home
* ITDG Energy at the Earth Summit 2002
* Launch of Sustainable Energy Action Plan
* Asian brown cloud shows the need for action
* Why the WSSD energy agreement is a sham
* Sustainable energy for the world's poor
ITDG's Energy projects
http://itdg.org/?id=energy
* Improved stoves and household energy
* Micro-hydro
* Solar power
* Biogas
* Small-scale wind power
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