|
LONDON, England, July 12, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
Energy companies could encourage the use of
renewable energies to alleviate urban energy poverty in Latin
America, according to the World Energy Council.
“Unlike other developing regions in the world, the problem of
energy poverty in Latin America has been concentrated increasingly
in the large cities and urban areas,” the group says in a report.
“This problem has deep systemic, economic, political, structural and
cultural roots.”
“Providing basic energy services to the urban poor is an issue that
requires far more attention and expertise than it is receiving
today” and energy companies could introduce innovations such as
“encouraging the use of renewable energy sources and energy
efficient techniques in order to reduce the environmental impact of
fossil fuels, and as an incentive to local entrepreneurs as well.”
Other initiatives would be to cooperate with government agencies to
legalize local business and stimulate an entrepreneurial spirit
within the poor community, and to offer tariff schemes that allow
families and small businesses in poor communities to address social
and economic insecurity.
The regional study uses three case studies from Greater Buenos
Aires, Caracas and Rio de Janeiro, and each case focuses on the
analysis of specific aspects of urban poverty, energy availability
and policies to improve living conditions from the energy point of
view.
In the past decade, “the phenomenon of urban poverty has become
increasingly more important than rural poverty, both in quantitative
and qualitative terms, affecting nearly all Latin American
countries,” it notes. In 1980, there were 136 million people living
in poor conditions in the region, of which 46% were considered
urban, but the total population had increased to 211 million by
1999, of which 63% were living in cities.
“As a result, urban poverty has doubled in the last two decades,
while the number of rural poor has remained stable,” it explains.
“Unlike rural poverty, which is defined as a traditional lifestyle
that lacks the equipment and devices for providing the comforts of
modern life, urban poverty is best defined as the inability to earn
an income sufficient to meet the most basic needs, access to energy
being a significant element of these needs.”
“Lack of access to energy services reinforces feelings of social
injustice and exclusion,” it continues. “It strengthens resentment
among the poor towards those who enjoy access to services and goods,
and this can result in feelings of isolation and despair.”
“Although it is obvious that energy poverty is merely one aspect of
overall poverty, it is also true that providing universal access to
energy is an important way of increasing income generating
opportunities and alleviating social distress,” it adds.
“Universal access to electricity is a core objective of public
policy and this is widely acknowledged across social divisions.”
Brazilians use electric showers for water heating, producing heavy
demand during peak hours, and “the use of solar energy to warm up
water would drastically reduce peak demand and provide significant
economic benefits for all consumers,” it notes. Solar technology is
little used in Brazil but solar collectors were considered a clean
energy solution and Cajú householders welcomed the idea of
implementing a solar heating system in their community.
“Growing rates of urbanization are an increasingly important
structural phenomenon and its consequences include high energy
losses, inefficient energy use, and the increasing sense of
marginalization of the urban poor,” the report concludes. The
migration from rural to urban societies has included the notion of a
right to universal access to public services, including energy.
Click here for more info
Visit http://www.sparksdata.co.uk/refocus/
for your international energy focus!!
Refocus © Copyright 2005, Elsevier
Ltd, All rights reserved.
|
