A group of enthusiastic volunteers will gather this month to launch the International Energy Poverty Action Week (IEPAW), where actions to combat energy poverty around the globe will take centre stage. IEPAW will be held virtually from 21st to 25th February 2022, and will bring together academics, policymakers and practitioners in the field of energy poverty and energy access for a series of five seminars, discussions and workshops centred on finding actionable solutions to this global issue, as well as social media activity and offline actions.
Access to affordable, sustainable and clean energy is a central focus for every continent in the face of global climate change, and governments, companies and NGOs must come together in their efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and combat poverty. “Energy poverty”, “energy vulnerability”, “fuel poverty” and “energy precarity” are all expressions covering the various realities of people living across the world who struggle to afford or access adequate domestic energy resources. By coming together, we can find solutions to solve this issue.
Organisations and supporters are encouraged to join this independent initiative and use this week to profile their own actions and activities to raise awareness of energy poverty issues across the world.
Five Days, Four Continents, One Goal
The Agenda:
Monday: The Right to Energy and Energy Justice – an International Perspective: Join us for the launch of the ENGAGER Right to Energy toolkit and the Toolkit on Building a Just transition with the people, followed by a discussion with an international panel on the applicability of this toolkit in their regions.
Tuesday: Latin America: Tuesday’s focus is Latin America, where we will hear about understanding, recognising and sharing energy poverty knowledge and gaps in the region.
Wednesday: Europe: Europe day will bring together perspectives on local solutions and good practices in the sphere of energy poverty. It will also give space to experts and practitioners to explore why measuring energy poverty is important.
Thursday: Asia: Asia day will bring together the UN, private sector and NGOs to discuss the role of different organisations in tackling energy poverty, policy and innovative solutions.
Friday: Africa: Friday will look at technologies for electrification in Africa, moving away from centralised fossil fuels, to decentralised renewables on the continent.
Marine Cornelis is organising Day 5 – Africa, in an effort to promote the LEAP-RE consortium she joined in 2021:
How to combine energy quality with access to the greatest number of people? In Africa, this question is still on the table. Nearly 600 million people do not have access to electricity, and these numbers are even higher when considering the levels of access defined by the Multi-Tiered Framework. Different technologies and programmes seek to increase Africa’s share of access to electricity from renewable sources. This session will show how access to clean energy, decentralised renewable production, and innovation address the intertwined challenges of human development and sustainable growth.
Register here and check http://www.energypovertyaction.org for more!
