Why it is essential to transform the Developing World Energy Systems Now?

Improved access to clean modern energy in developing countries is a fundamental step to poverty reduction and key to attaining the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. About 2.4 billion people, notably in rural areas of Asia and Africa depend, on traditional biomass in the form of firewood, charcoal, harvest residues and dung used for
cooking and heating.

About 35 % of the energy typically derives from these sources. In parts of Africa, it reaches 90 %. As a rule, this biomass is burned with low efficiencies of only 10 to 15 %, while high levels of indoor pollution from open fires lead to health problems of the persons exposed, mostly women, children and the elderly.

Conventional energies and systems have associated risks. These may relate to pricevolatility, economic and socio-political instability, security, development and technical failure. Most developing nations are coal and oil importers, exposed to the volatility of markets.

The risk of price volatility to macro-economies is considerable and can destabilise whole regions. There are currently no reasons to believe that the prospects for lower oil price volatilities and prices are auspicious. Therefore, developing countries producing their own renewable fuels are better buffered.

I completely agree with Shikha, & would like to add another idea here.

Subsistence and commercial agriculture, as well as (eco)tourism are the economic life-blood of most developing countries.

According to the world’s most knowledgeable scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the bulk of global warming of the last 50 years is attributed to human activities and is strongly fossil energy related. The impact of climate change on agriculture, tourism, health (tropical diseases) will be more severe in developing countries than on the rest of the world.

This was illustrated by the recent floods highlighting how rising water levels and sudden climate events can take developing countries by surprise. Such climate changes will cause large-scale uprooting and migration of entire regions’ populations. While of the worst global polluters situated in the northern hemisphere might even benefit from a warmer climate, they will find themselves swamped by climate fugitives who literally have nothing to lose.