Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
To meet the more ambitious target of achieving universal access to modern en-
ergy services by 2030, additional investment of $756 billion, or $36 billion per
year, is required according to recent estimates. This is less than 3% of the global
energy investment projected for 2030. The resulting increase in primary energy de-
mand and CO
2
emissions would be modest.
While the scale of the challenge is tremendous, access to energy, electricity, and
modern fuels and/or stoves for all is achievable by 2030. Such an achievement will
require global investments of about US$16-65 billion annually, a small fraction of
the total costs of energy infrastructure.
Access to modern cooking fuels may contribute to little or no rise in greenhouse
gas emissions. Immediate benefits include improved health on the order of
800,000-1.8 million avoided deaths a year, a decrease in the amount of people's
time spent on cooking, and the socioeconomic benefits from improved energy ac-
cess. Such benefits will extend well beyond the current generation.
