SDG #7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people with access to electricity has increased by 1.7 billion, and as the global population continues to rise so will the demand for cheap energy. We use fuels to heat our houses, and to drive our cars. These fuels come from the earth and will eventually run out, because we use them faster than the earth can make them. They’re called fossil fuels. A global economy that relies on fossil fuels, and the increase of greenhouse gas emissions, is causing big changes to our climate system that is not good for anyone- its’ impacting every continent.

Clean energy is what we need: energy from the sun, the wind, or heat from the ground. Energy from these sources is also renewable- this means we won’t run out of it! Efforts to encourage clean energy has resulted in more than 20 percent of global power being generated by renewable sources as of 2011. Still, one in seven people lack access to electricity, and as the demand continues to rise, there needs to be a much bigger increase in the production of renewable energy across the world.

Making sure the whole world has access to affordable electricity by 2030 means putting money, time, and research into clean energy sources. Adopting cost-effective standards for a wider range of technologies could also reduce the global electricity consumption by buildings and industry by 14 percent. A key step to achieving this is to provide clean energy in all developing countries, because it will encourage growth and help the environment.