“The pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our world”, explained UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres two weeks ago during the 18th annual Nelson Mandela lecture. The International Monetary Fund’s latest forecasts predict a global decline of almost 5%, a crisis that will mainly affect society’s most vulnerable. At the height of the crisis, governments and international organisations announced huge public investment plans to prevent economic catastrophe. The problem does not just concern alleviating the effects of unemployment, however. The choices that will be made in the coming months will be decisive for understanding whether we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past or implement a new, more resilient, fair and long-lasting development model: a green and sustainable recovery that also confronts the climate emergency and takes into account the future of generations to come. Investment in renewables for the recovery Universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all is the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #7 (SDG#7) and it represents the key to the green recovery. If access to electricity is an essential means to facilitate industrialisation and socio-economic development, today in particular, clean energies represent the way forward to facilitate the recovery, driving investments and employment. As much has been confirmed by an Oxford University study, according to which “for the good of the economy, the economic recovery needs to respect the environment”. Today sustainability is an ally of profit. In fact, the report underlines how investments in renewable energy sources ensure an economic return in the short term, savings in the longer term and can create double the number of jobs compared with fossil fuels. Green investment is an extraordinary multiplier when it comes to jobs. Public funds should be able to provide forms of support to local communities that still depend on fossil fuels: for example, the European Green Deal includes a mechanism to provide financial assistance to ensure a Just transition, with the aim of encouraging the conversion of power plants and providing training programmes and outplacement services to enable people to transition to new professional roles. Cleaner electricity is healthier We often forget that so many people who contracted Covid-19 were able to receive treatment and recover thanks to healthcare structures that rely on electricity. Areas without electricity are more vulnerable not only to coronavirus, but also to other illnesses. The UN has stated the case in no uncertain terms: it isn’t just a question of universal access to energy, but to clean energy. This means focussing on renewables, which are the protagonists of the energy transition currently under way, and on energy efficiency. These are two effective tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard the health of future generations and reduce the atmospheric pollution that damages people’s health, especially in urban areas and emerging economies. In many areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa bringing clean energy also means electrifying new sectors, beginning with cooking: the use of polluting fuels, which is still widespread, results in poor air quality in some homes and this has knock-on effect on people’s health, in particular that of women who on average spend more time in the home. Enel Green Power for the wellbeing of the community Simultaneously promoting economic growth, protecting the climate and people’s health are also key priorities for Enel Green Power: while the health benefits of clean energy will be seen in the long term, already we are flanking the creation of our projects with health programmes for the communities in which we work. In order to help these face the pandemic we have donated supplies and medical equipment, such as facemasks, protective goggles, single-use gloves, disinfectant and antibacterial soaps, protective clothing, water purification filters, defibrillators and electrocardiographs. In South Africa, Colombia and Greece we have donated food, essentials and personal hygiene products to society’s more vulnerable segments. Already prior to the pandemic we had contributed to the health of local populations through various projects: a health centre in South Africa, the renovation of a clinic in Zambia, an innovative hybrid system to supply electricity to a hospital in Ethiopia and a similar initiative launched in Uganda. #SDG7, how are we progressing? SDG #7 is to provide access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. In the last ten years huge strides have been made in this direction all over the world but these efforts are still insufficient. This has been confirmed by a report compiled jointly by the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the United Nations Statistics Division. While the number of people without access to electricity fell from 1.2 billion to 789 million between 2010 and 2018, forecasts estimate that in 2030 this figure will be around 620 million rather than the target figure of zero. Progress is still too slow concerning the use of clean technology for cooking: there are still around 3 billion people still without access to it, the fall in numbers was almost imperceptible between 2010 and 2018 and even with the current policies the number is estimated to be close to 2.3 billion in 2030. Concerning energy efficiency, the target set for 2030 is an annual rate of improvement of 2.6% of Energy Intensity (i.e. units of energy per unit of GDP). So far progress has been slower: in order to achieve this goal it will now be necessary to achieve an annual improvement of 3%. A numerical target was not set to for renewable energy but rather there is a requirement to “substantially accelerate” the spread of renewables. According to the report, also on this front progress has not reached the desired level, in spite of spectacular growth. In order to get back on the right track, the report concludes, it is necessary to accelerate in all sectors and in all geographical areas. And for this reason greater efforts are required at institutional level, plus more efficient, long-term energy planning, greater public and private finance as well as incisive policies and tax incentives. Above all, it is necessary to dedicate particular attention to rural areas and developing countries, which are further from achieving the targets but where only a small part of financing of green projects is spent. “No one left behind” should be the lodestar guiding choices in the coming months as we turn over a new leaf and look to the future.
