What is Sustainable Development Goal 7?

Sustainable Development Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy, is positioned as a “key” challenge for the future of our societies; let’s see why.

Can you imagine your life without access to energy, without electricity? We live in a world where access to reliable and sustainable energy becomes fundamental for the development of a community or society. The provision of the most essential services (education, medicine, agriculture, industry, infrastructure, communications, etc.) would become a true odyssey, impeding the development of a dignified life. This situation, which for many is perhaps simply a theory, is the reality in which 1.2 billion people worldwide still live, whose access to modern electricity services is still a mirage. The majority of these people, whom Sustainable Development Goal 7 aims to help, are concentrated in a dozen countries in Africa and Asia. Furthermore, nearly 3 billion people (around three times the population of China) still rely on burning wood, coal, charcoal, or animal waste to cook and heat their food every day.

Cutting a solution to these and other major energy shortcomings of our world is why, during the drafting of the 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7): Affordable and Clean Energy was established. In addition to access to electricity itself, this challenge involves reversing the polluting gene that predominates in a large part of the energy we consume in our daily lives. We cannot forget that around 60% of all global greenhouse gas emissions come from the generation and consumption of energy; which is why a change in the generation model towards renewable energies (17.5% of total global energy consumption was from renewable sources in 2015) and the electrification of the economy are presented as key to achieving this challenge.

Furthermore, it would be irresponsible to forget that the use of this type of polluting energy not only harms the environment, but also affects people’s health. So much so that, far from the diseases that pollution causes in our societies, air pollution in closed spaces due to the use of fuels to heat the home or food is the cause of 4 million premature deaths each year.

What are the goals of Sustainable Development Goal 7?

Like the rest of the sustainable development goals, the solution to the problems previously mentioned involves a series of tangible goals on the horizon of the coming years. Let’s see what they are:

• 7.1  Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
• 7.2  Substantially increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• 7.3  Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
• 7.a  Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including for renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and advanced and cleaner fossil fuel technologies, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean technologies
• 7.b Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology to provide modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in line with their respective agendas of support

How much would it cost to achieve SDG 7?

Once the goals and proposed solutions have been established, it’s time to think about how we can tackle this problem from an economic point of view. According to the United Nations itself, it would be necessary to triple the annual investment in sustainable energy infrastructure, going from a current expenditure of around $400 billion today to $1.25 trillion in 2030.