If COVID-19 continues at the current rate of progress, over 670 million people will be without power by 2030, which is 10 million more than was predicted last year, the International Renewable Energy Agency said.
According to the agency, the pandemic has slowed progress toward universal energy access.
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on energy have been compounded in recent months by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has created uncertainty in global oil and gas markets and sent energy prices soaring.
According to the 2022 edition of Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, the pandemic’s effects, such as lockdowns, disruptions to global supply chains, and diversion of fiscal resources to keep food and fuel prices affordable, have slowed progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7) of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030.
Progress has been hampered, particularly in the most vulnerable countries and those that are already lagging in terms of energy access.
“Nearly 90 million people in Asia and Africa who previously had access to electricity are now unable to meet their basic energy needs.
“Africa remains the least electrified in the world with 568 million people without electricity access.
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“Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without electricity increased from 71 percent in 2018 to 77 percent in 2020, while most other regions saw decreases in their share of access deficits.
“Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without electricity jumped to 77 percent in 2020 from 71 percent in 2018 whereas most other regions saw declines in their share of the access deficits” the report claimed.
While 70 million people gained access to clean cooking fuels and technologies around the world, this progress was insufficient to keep up with population growth, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA, said International public financing for renewable energy needs to accelerate, especially in the poorest, most vulnerable countries.
He said: “We have failed to support those most in need. With only eight years left to achieve universal access to affordable and sustainable energy, we need radical actions to accelerate the increase of international public financial flows and distribute them in a more equitable manner, so 733 million people who are currently left behind can enjoy the benefits of clean energy access.”
According to the report, despite ongoing disruptions in economic activity and supply chains, renewable energy was the only energy source that grew during the pandemic.
However, these positive global and regional trends in renewable energy have left behind many countries most in need of electricity. This was aggravated by a drop in international financial flows for the second year in a row, falling to $10.9 billion in 2019.
The SDG7 targets also include energy efficiency. Global annual improvements in energy intensity averaged around 1.9 percent from 2010 to 2019.
This falls far short of the levels required to meet SDG 7 targets, and to make up for lost ground, the average rate of improvement would need to increase to 3.2 percent.
In September 2021, the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy brought together governments and stakeholders to accelerate action to achieve a sustainable energy future that leaves no one behind.
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