The lights were switched off for an hour yesterday evening in many government and private buildings in the UAE to mark Earth Hour, an event that is designed to raise awareness of the dire consequences of global warming. Earth Hour is an important gesture towards saving energy and addressing what some regard as a looming environmental crisis but, as Professor Bjorn Lomborg of the Copenhagen Business School has pointed out, it should also act as a reminder that there are 1.3 billion people across the developing world who have no access to electricity at all.
While those of us fortunate enough to live in the developed world can be heard to complain when our wireless internet coverage drops out for a few seconds, the fact that more than 15 per cent of the world’s population lives without any electricity in the 21st century is a damning statistic that needs to be addressed.
Certainly, working towards cutting emissions in countries where conspicuous consumption is a daily occurrence should be an important part of any strategic long-term planning. But, providing affordable electricity to those without any access to it would seem to constitute the provision of something close to a basic human right.
In 2009, the International Energy Agency’s World Energy publication stated that “the task of achieving universal access to electricity is, clearly, formidable but it would contribute substantially to the alleviation of poverty.”
Access to electricity is necessary not only for creating the conditions for economic growth, but also for basic activities, such as lighting, refrigeration and the running of household appliances. Without it, many people continue to suffer from health problems and unnecessary deaths.
Almost two million people die unnecessarily in developing countries each year due to inhaling the indoor smoke caused by burning solid fuels, including wood, coal, animal dung and crop wastes, according to a recent report on the least developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The practice increases the risk of having serious health issues, such as child pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
So, after switching off the lights in the developed world, it would be worthwhile to shift the focus of Earth Hour towards finding energy solutions for the 1.3 billion who currently live in darkness.