Abstract
There are increasing concerns that energy poverty across nations is weakening the global efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A systematic assessment of energy poverty is, therefore, essential to track the spatiotemporal pattern of SDG 7 and monitor the global efforts in alleviating energy poverty. This article develops the first Multidimensional Energy Poverty Assessment Index (MEAI), incorporating energy availability, affordability, and efficiency applicable to quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of energy poverty development at global, regional, and national scales. Our analyses indicate that the overall MEAI and indices in all dimensions decreased from 2001 to 2016 at a global level with energy affordability experiencing the highest decline. The MEAI at the national level declines within the same period, showing significant regional heterogeneity in terms of the sub-index. Energy efficiency in developed and less-developed regions is characterized by high carbon emissions and low energy modernization, respectively. The energy availability indices are lower in developed nations and in nations with abundant energy resources. Overall, our results highlight a sudden increase in MEAI for Central America in 2014 and a gradual decline in MEAI for East Asia during 2014–2016. A call for regional actions is critically needed to solve energy poverty from different facets.
Highlights
Energy poverty has received growing attention worldwide in both academic communities and political agendas in recent years
The energy availability indices are lower in developed nations and in nations with abundant energy resources
We found that previous studies are limited to a particular country or region, and rarely studies are found to assess global energy poverty by using multidimensional energy poverty measurement
Summary
Energy poverty has received growing attention worldwide in both academic communities and political agendas in recent years. The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) refers to energy poverty and aims to achieve universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services by 2030. There is no internationally consistent definition of energy poverty. It is usually considered a situation where households are unable to adequately meet their energy needs at an affordable cost (Dobbins et al, 2019), thwarting efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A lack of access to modern energy causes severe health problems, including cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory disorders (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being), blunts future generation’s opportunity to reach satisfactory lifestyles (SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities), results in global deforestation and climate change (SDG 13: Climate Action), and affects many of the SDGs (Chapman et al, 2019). To fight energy poverty with sound policies and measures, a systematic and comprehensive assessment of energy poverty is of necessity for human sustainability
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