Energy equity: can the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative make a difference?

The Green Economy Coalition supports the UN's Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative but argues it requires more ambition and a specific focus on energy equity. The authors contend that universal energy access is a prerequisite for achieving Millennium Development Goals, particularly in health and education. They advocate for a strategy that prioritises the poorest, measures success through development outcomes rather than infrastructure metrics, and promotes community-led stewardship of local resources. While acknowledging the role of the private sector, the document emphasizes that reaching the most impoverished will require significant public sector and NGO involvement, as 'base of the pyramid' business models often overlook the absolute poorest.

• The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative has established three primary targets to be reached by 2030: achieving universal access to modern energy services, doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement, and doubling the proportion of renewable energy within the global energy mix.
• Global energy inequity is severe, with 20% of the population lacking electricity and approximately 40% lacking clean and efficient cooking technologies, which hinders human development and wellbeing.
• The authors argue that SE4ALL should prioritise energy access for the poorest to reduce poverty and build climate resilience, noting that providing electricity to those in energy poverty via fossil-fuel grids would only increase global emissions by 1.6%.
• Success for energy programmes should be measured by development benefits—such as improvements in livelihoods, education, and health—rather than by the quantity of hardware distributed, such as cook stoves or light bulbs.
• While the private sector is expected to provide finance and skills, 'base of the pyramid' business models typically target the 'relatively poor' rather than the poorest; therefore, the public sector, NGOs, and social enterprises are essential for delivering energy to the most impoverished.
• According to the International Energy Agency, universal energy access by 2030 is possible if global investment in energy infrastructure is increased by 3%.

APA

Wilson, E. (2012). Energy equity: can the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative make a difference? Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/energy-equity-can-un-sustainable-energy-all-initiative-make-difference

Chicago

Wilson, Emma. Energy equity: can the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative make a difference? Green Economy Coalition, 2012. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/energy-equity-can-un-sustainable-energy-all-initiative-make-difference.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Wilson |first1=Emma |title=Energy equity: can the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative make a difference? |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=30 March 2012 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/energy-equity-can-un-sustainable-energy-all-initiative-make-difference |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{wilson2012energy, author = {Wilson, Emma}, title = {{Energy equity: can the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative make a difference?}}, publisher = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2012}, month = mar, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/energy-equity-can-un-sustainable-energy-all-initiative-make-difference}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }