With the slow shift to renewable sources, 650 million people will still lack access to electricity by 2030 and nine out of ten will be in sub-Saharan Africa, UN Women said in a new report.
In the report, Beyond Covid-19: A Feminist Plan for Sustainability and Social Justice, the UN entity called on governments to expand access to clean energy and put gender goals at the heart of environmental sustainability initiatives.
‘Expanding access to clean, renewable energy would yield significant benefits for all, but especially for women, by eliminating indoor air pollution arising from the use of biomass for cooking’, the UN Women report said.
‘The transition could also create new green jobs for women in the renewable energy field, which is significantly more labour-intensive than fossil fuels’.
UN Women noted that energy production and use is the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions and, globally, the shift to renewable sources remains slow.
Africa is projected to experience increasing climate hazards for the remainder of the 21st century which could eventually lead to a jump in food insecurity, mosquito-borne disease and mass displacement.
Children in the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau are the most at risk of experiencing the worst and most life-threatening effects of climate change, a new study by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) found.
The UN Women report also highlighted the advantages of decentralised off-grid solar energy as an alternative to increasing access to electricity in both rural and urban areas.
The report commended non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for expanding access to clean and renewable energy for women.
‘In Nigeria, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania, non-profit organisation, Solar Sister, trains and supports women to deliver clean energy to homes in rural areas’, it added.
‘Solar Sister has trained over 4,000 women in business, technology and leadership skills and supported them to sell durable and affordable solar-powered products and clean cookstoves in off-grid communities’.
The report also noted that in addition to increasing access to energy, employment and entrepreneurship for women, the shift to off-grid sector could potentially create 4.5 million jobs by 2030.
UN Women called for increased governmental support for local communities to lead more sustainable approaches to energy and food production.
Source: UN Women
Photo source: UN Women
