New IEA World Outlook Report on Energy

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Modern energy services are crucial to human well‐being and to a country’s economic development; and yet globally over 1.3 billion people are without access to electricity and 2.7 billion people are without clean cooking facilities. More than 95% of these people are either in sub‐Saharan Africa or developing Asia and 84% are in rural areas. In 2009, we estimate that $9.1 billion was invested globally in extending access to modern energy services. In the absence of significant new policies, we project that the investment to this end between 2010 and 2030 will average $14 billion per year, mostly devoted to new on‐grid electricity connections in urban areas. This level of investment will still leave 1.0 billion people without electricity and, despite progress, population growth means that 2.7 billion people will remain without clean cooking facilities in 2030. While the United Nations Millennium Development Goals do not include specific targets in relation to access to electricity or to clean cooking facilities, the United Nations has declared 2012 to be the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All”. The Energy for All Conference in Oslo, Norway (October 2011) and the COP17 in Durban, South Africa (December 2011) are important preliminary opportunities to establish the link between energy access, climate change and development. These issues can then be addressed at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. That conference will be the occasion for commitments to specific action to achieve sustainable development, including universal energy access. In the report you will find many useful facts. The demands on action and coordination. It is crucial to support the work on local levelswhen many of the national government is blocked by interest on other national goals. Maybe the Mayors of cities can take a lead to speed up the work and I am looking for the regions and cities that will provoke and inspire the national governments to do more. Kaj Embrén, Sustainable Business Coach, +46-70-398 22 11, kaj@embren.com.