The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All

            ‘The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All’ aims to get people to recognize that, access to affordable modern energy services is essential for sustainable development. It focuses on raising awareness about the importance of increasing access to energy, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. The UN has developed a Sustainable Energy for All initiative to attract global attention to the importance of energy for development and poverty reduction.

How does access to Sustainable Energy help?

Access to energy, particularly sustainable energy, is indistinguishable from a sustainable future for the developing world. Not only does access to energy transform the lives of the energy-poor by raising living standards, it also:

enables income generation – for example, through solar pumps for irrigation or electricity for a small business;

provides power to community health clinics, and refrigerators to store medicines, as well as cell phones, which have transformed commerce;

reduces the time and drudgery of collecting fuel wood, supporting cleaner, more efficient cooking and heating options;

provides lighting, so children can study after dark;

enables businesses to operate and creates new opportunities for entrepreneurs.

⇒Related links: http://www.un.org/en/events/sustainableenergyforall/

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