Today, 1.2 billion people still do not have access to modern energy, while 2.5 billion rely on “traditional biomass” (ie wood or dung) and coal as their main fuel sources.
Lack of access to clean, affordable and reliable energy hinders human, social and economic development and is a major impediment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. This video clip from
Practical Action shows what it means in practical terms to have no electricity, and explains how the charity is working with local communities to resolve some of the issues.
[embed]https://youtu.be/usISdE-WSWU[/embed]
How can sustainable energy help move people out of poverty?
As well as generally raising living standards, having access to reliable energy also:
Why teach about sustainable energy?
Sustainable energy fits well into subjects such as Geography, Science and Design & Technology and there is already a wealth of resources to help teachers explore and teach about different energy sources and their impacts on the Global Dimension website.
It is also important to focus on the many people who don’t have easy access to energy. It is a very harsh reality that so much of the world’s population live without proper access to light for reading or heat for cooking. It is also important that the world finds energy solutions that are easy to access, don’t deplete dwindling resources and as far as possible don’t contribute to climate change.
This could be a tall order laden with doom and gloom, but as I’ve been researching this page what stands out for me are the many positive stories that are linked to sustainable energy. There are so many small scale solutions using renewable sources, many of them developed by people “on the ground” and employing the local community – it gives me hope to read about such human ingenuity.
It would be great to use these examples to inspire your students - maybe they can create their own sustainable energy solutions!
Positive stories about sustainable energy projects
AlertNet
Cameroon farmers turn dung into power
BBC News
Wind and sunlight make Kenyan profits
Eco News
Wave energy project to power 300 homes in Australia
Guardian
The women of India’s Barefoot College bring light to remote villages
Moving Windmills
William Kamkwamba from Malawi started building windmills aged 14
Teaching ideas and resources
Primary
The
Ashden Awards champion sustainable energy solutions in the UK and across the world. They have activities and resources for primary schools on their website which are based around award-winning energy projects.
The
Geographical Association’s online resource
Young Geographers Go Green has a range of activities around sustainable energy, including
Everyday Sustainability – which looks at unbalanced access to energy across the world and the kinds of fuel used in other countries.
Secondary
The
Department for Energy and Climate Change have developed the
My 2050 Schools Toolkit which explores the challenges we face in reducing carbon emissions while maintaining reliable and secure energy supplies.
All ages
Practical Action have a wide range of resources relating to their work in developing countries involving renewable energy. These include
images,
posters,
Moja Island activity (secondary) and a
wind power challenge (ages 7-16)
The documentary photographer
Peter Di Campo has been exploring the economic and social implications of energy poverty. His online photo exhibition,
Life Without Lights is an excellent resource.
Photo at top of page:
Energy - Sources of Power: Solar Energy - by United Nations Photo on flickr.com
