‘Equity is paramount to the right type of energy transition which can empower millions’

Philippe Benoit

is adjunct senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Speakingto Srijana Mitra Das at

Times Evoke

, he discusses why energy equity is crucial for a sustainable energy transition:
How do you define energy equity?
There are two dimensions to this. The first is inequality within energy systems, manifest in underprivileged people who don’t have access to energy like electricity. Then, at a worldwide level, there is global energy inequality with wealthier countries consuming more energy per capita and in absolute terms than poorer countries.

Energy is vital in raising standards of living and enhancing development. It is critical in building and saving lives — in situations of intense heat, for instance, access to air cooling systems is an imperative. Energy access is also necessary to improve worker productivity. Inequality in energy access undermines economic activity and efforts to raise people out of poverty. Energy inequality translates to lower living standards which hurt the poor deeply. There are situations where poor people spend more of their incomes on energy than affluent families — at times, the poor spend more per unit of energy than wealthier people. As an example, energy delivered through a grid is less expensive than using batteries to power appliances — the latter shows absolute energy inequality. Poor people also often have older vehicles that are less fuel- efficient. So, they use more fuel to travel the same distance as others. These are just some ways poor people spend more on energy and can’t save or invest in other important areas. Energy inequity traps them in a cycle of poverty.

OUR DAILY POWER: Equitable energy access is key to raising economic productivity, reducing poverty and improving millions of lives. Picture courtesy: iStock

Has the pandemic highlighted energy poverty?
The pandemic brought to the fore how the poor suffer the impacts of a crisis more due to their lack of access to energy. In the US, poorer communities suffered more because of employment conditions which exposed them to the virus. The poor couldn’t stay at home, working on their computers remotely. Lacking energy access, they had to go out to earn their livelihoods. In many countries, the poor received inadequate healthcare, weakened by a lack of quality energy reflected in power outages, etc. The pandemic showed how inequality can actually kill and energy is a large factor impacting peoples’ access to life-saving services.

A BUNDLE OF INEQUITIES: Energy inequality is reflected in the dependence on unclean fuels which have severe health impacts that can further impoverish the vulnerable

Where does India stand in energy equity?India has huge importance in terms of the energy landscape. India’s had robust economic growth over the last 15 years. In the future, India is likely to join the US, China,

Germany

and

Japan

as the top five economies of the world. India is also projected to have the largest energy demand globally. So, what happens in India is very important in terms of the global energy system and efforts to decarbonise. But, alongside, the poor in India are particularly vulnerable in terms of energy poverty compared to the poor in more affluent societies. So, it’s even more important to plan for greater energy access. The issue of energy equity or empowering poorer nations to get clean, sustainable energy which can help them grow exists at a global level — India is a very good advocate for this. But we must remember energy equity for marginalised communities within the national context.



Can energy poverty be reduced while the world aims at decreasing emissions?
One of the world’s greatest challenges is to reduce energy poverty while supporting economic growth. It’s important to prioritise basic energy access, from electricity to cooking technologies, etc., for the extremely poor. Alongside, developing countries need to broaden energy access for businesses and the middle class. What the climate situation does is to reduce some of the options. Clearly, we need to transition to lower carbon energy now.

India, which has the largest projected energy demand globally, must plan to transition as rapidly as possible while securing its ability to generate electricity through the near future. Advanced economies should help India achieve this — in the context of COP26, the world’s richest countries should step up financing to help developing nations transition to a lower carbon economy while meeting their development needs.

How can the energy transition be made equitable or fair for those facing energy poverty?

This is a question of values and priorities — that means recognising the importance of a growth and transition dynamic that benefits all. Globally, energy efforts often serve the interests of the elite, not the
disenfranchised. Countries give lip service to this issue but it isn’t followed up much. Media coverage like this is important to highlight the energy gap and keep the focus on efforts to solve it. This also helps in raising public consciousness which can lead to this issue becoming part of the dialogue. It’s notable that India made a concerted effort to provide hundreds of millions of people access to electricity. Now, it’s important to engage the energy marginalised and understand their needs. A study in India found that less electricity theft occurs when communities enjoy a more trusting relationship with the local electricity company. So, simple changes in attitudes towards people can also bring better impacts, including better bottom lines for energy producers.

Is energy equity core to the world’s transition to sustainable energy?
Energy equity is paramount to the right type of energy transition. We don’t want a world that is powered by renewables but where energy poverty still impacts poor people harshly. We don’t need an energy transition in terms of only emissions and technologies — we need the right type of energy transition to empower millions. Energy equity is central to that.

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