Pub.1 2019-2020 Issue 3

Energy Poverty W hen you think about terms like “energy poverty,” you probably think about places in under-developed coun- tries, possibly like Kirinyaga, Kenya. The main industry is agriculture and, in places processing food such as tea. Most of the people who live there don’t have access to electricity because they are too far away from the national grid. Extending the grid would cost more money than anyone has been willing to pay yet, so people burn other biomass instead, such as fuelwood or even dung. Biomass isn’t free; in developing countries such as Kenya, most families spend more than 20% of their income on it. As a result, these individuals have a poor standard of living, don’t get enough food, have limited educational opportunities, and ultimately live shorter lives. Why are lives shortened? Part of the reason has to do with inadequate cookstoves and fuel sources that produce indoor pollution. The World Health Organization estimated that unventilated indoor pollution in low-income countries was responsible for the deaths of 1.3 million people as recently as 2015 because of the respiratory illnesses it causes. That’s better than the deaths caused by indoor pollution as recently as two years earlier. According to National Geographic, the death toll in May 2013 was 3.5 million, which was more deaths than were attributed to HIV or AIDS (1.5 million) or malaria (1.2 million). Most of those who died were women and children, those responsible for cooking and other household tasks. It’s no surprise that one of the main global goals of the 21st century is to make sure that everyone has access to cheap and affordable electricity, even in rural areas, by 2030 (see the Introduction section of endnote 1). Reaching that goal will help the 1.2 billion people who have no access to electricity and will also benefit the 2.8 billion people who currently depend primarily on biomass to cook their food and heat their homes. It turns out that the most important thing you can give someone who is trying to get out of poverty is access to energy. Not only does that access improve an individual’s standard of living, it also provides economic growth and opportunities (see section 2, Assessing Energy Poverty and Its Implication, in endnote 1). In contrast, energy poverty is a destabilizing catalyst that can cause civil unrest and instability, especially in urban areas with a large percentage of unemployed young people. Energy poverty is not a small problem. Half the global population is affected by it (see endnote 4). But what about energy poverty in the U.S.? For anyone whose income is four times more than the poverty line, energy generally isn’t as significant a concern because people in that category generally only spend 1-2% of their income on home energy needs. Inevitably, though, people spend a higher percentage of their income when they are below the poverty line. There are people in this category throughout the entire U.S., of course, but the states with the highest energy poverty levels are in the northeast, the southeast, and the Midwestern parts of the country. In Michigan, for example, 22% of a low-income household’s financial resources are spent on energy bills. (See paragraphs 4 and 5, endnote 5). Anyone who is spending that much or more of their disposable income on utility bills does not have enough money to pay for the other necessities of life. It is reasonable to expect to spend 6% of a household income on utilities. People need enough energy to be able to power appliances, heat or cool their homes, and turn on lights when needed. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, spending more than 10% of financial resources on energy is considered by many to be the point at which energy poverty begins (see endnote 1). That’s when people start doing without heat, hot water and light after sundown. They also buy less food and medicine and turn to unsafe, improvised energy alternatives. Burning charcoal and biomass isn’t safe, is bad for the environment and shortens life expectancy. Even something that seems like it would be safe, such as burning pressure-treated lumber scrap, can be dangerous if it releases arsenic smoke (see endnote 6. Fortunately, however, not all pressure-treated lumber contains arsenic. ) The federal government has a program called LIHEAP that is intended to help people with utility bills they can’t afford to pay. The government does not and cannot provide enough money to meet the current need. As of 2016, the biggest gaps (more than $2,400) are in states like Vermont and Maine. But even in Utah, where the gap is considerably less than that, there was still a $330 gap (see the table in the Affordability Gap section for endnote 3). For those who don’t have the resources to close the gap, any shortfall is potentially devastating. Being energy poor is a direct precursor to being homeless; the No. 1 reason for homelessness is domestic violence, but the next most common reason in households with children is not having enough money to pay the utilities (see the Section Chance section for endnote 3). 20 UP DATE