The blog illustrates the plight of the energy poor and I wholeheartedly support the measures cited to re-balance the inequality. However, I’m left feeling that it already starts from an unsteady footing, assuming that all we take for granted in more technologically developed economies is what we should be aiming to provide the energy poor. I would argue that it starts from a re-examination of our own profligacy and wastefulness from which we should partner and learn together with those communities. We in what we can consider more technologically developed environments need to take a step back and observe how communities without access, work and live and survive. Understand the principles that they must live by just to maintain their existence. This then becomes a two-way learning process, respecting the culture and history and knowledge of other societies and communities as a mirror to challenge our own shortcomings. Many organisations have declared climate emergencies and net-zero carbon goals, and whilst these are positive aspirations, we have to guard against it becoming self-congratulatory rhetoric. We can only become net-zero when we reduce carbon to a greater extent than we emit it. What better way than to focus those additional efforts and resources in supporting those regions without resilient access to energy, alongside soil improvement and reforestation actions, and build on the sustainable principles that many in energy starved communities must adopt out of necessity.

The blog illustrates the plight of the energy poor and I wholeheartedly support the measures cited to re-balance the inequality. However, I’m left feeling that it already starts from an unsteady footing, assuming that all we take for granted in more technologically developed economies is what we should be aiming to provide the energy poor. I would argue that it starts from a re-examination of our own profligacy and wastefulness from which we should partner and learn together with those communities. We in what we can consider more technologically developed environments need to take a step back and observe how communities without access, work and live and survive. Understand the principles that they must live by just to maintain their existence. This then becomes a two-way learning process, respecting the culture and history and knowledge of other societies and communities as a mirror to challenge our own shortcomings. Many organisations have declared climate emergencies and net-zero carbon goals, and whilst these are positive aspirations, we have to guard against it becoming self-congratulatory rhetoric. We can only become net-zero when we reduce carbon to a greater extent than we emit it. What better way than to focus those additional efforts and resources in supporting those regions without resilient access to energy, alongside soil improvement and reforestation actions, and build on the sustainable principles that many in energy starved communities must adopt out of necessity.