The gendered rural energy poverty impacts and climate vulnerability

Image Source: The Borgen Project

Through research and development, it is established that the lack of energy is as unsustainable as the overuse of energy. In our energy-yearning ordeal, energy harness and its security plays a vital role in sustainable development. This, thus manifests so intricately such that, the more we become developed, the more energy we use, and vice versa. One of the most fundamental issues that challenge the very being of us, poverty—widely conceptualised in a number of ways; economic and social. But the dimensions of research that conjuncts poverty and energy in rural regions of Africa is, however minimally explored. Along this breath, the tail of a complex problem which remains an ongoing dent on sustainability waggles—Energy Poverty. Widely defined, energy poverty is the lack of access to sustainable and affordable, clean energy services. Economically, the lack of energy and poverty often go hand in hand, both at national and rural levels, in African regions. Therefore, access to affordable and clean energy is necessary for the elimination of energy poverty in the region.

Nonetheless, access to clean energy is not only indispensable to the human daily life, but is also necessary to influence policy to better understand the differentiated impacts of energy poverty and the interaction of different adaptive strategies, especially for women in climate vulnerable regions. In these regions, women face numerous inequalities that severely limit their access to social, economic and political opportunities. The latest report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) points out that 2 billion people still use unclean fuels [1]. A huge proportion of this figure is in Africa, which doubles as the most vulnerable continent in terms of climate crisis. Energy not being affordable and accessible to all groups of people, women in particular, undermines the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 and trudges on sustainable development. Consequently, priority on the importance of integrating and understanding the concept of gender relations in our measures to deal with the challenge of energy poverty is essential, hence this presentation.

The advancement of research and policy continues to kindle curiosity in the sphere of the intersection between gender inequalities, energy and climate change. At least for advocates and researchers who are ardent in the field of sustainability, this has not become a subject which only evokes public interest, but one that delves into the vulnerable spaces of human rights and equity. To pique your interest, the United Nations estimates that 80% of people displaced by climate-related impacts are women and girls [2]. Challenges relating to energy poverty are often borne out of inequality and hence solutions to these challenges need to address the main feature of inequality; gender inequality, if only we envisage a sustainable result [3]. The concern here is, the fact that men and women may have different needs when it comes to energy resources and may even have different ideas about sustainable livelihoods notwithstanding, the two genders are known to have different levels of access to resources and decision-making. Generally, women’s ability to influence processes and resource allocation in terms of energy is restricted. They may benefit less from initiatives that seek to address issues of energy poverty due to the ineffectiveness of policies to appreciate their role played in energy problems in rural regions.

Energy poverty impacts women differently and more often severely than men, yet energy policies do not usually reflect and account for these disparities. In most rural parts of Africa where women are commonly stereotyped with the task of providing and using unclean energy for their households, the menace of deforestation and climate change compound to these challenges, because women who fetch firewood have to now travel longer distances on foot to get firewood for their families [4,5]. These discrepancies weigh on the ticket of energy security and subvert major developmental interventions even if its effects are felt indirectly. According to the UN Development Program (UNDP), gender disparity in economic engagement results in substantial financial losses, with Sub-Saharan African countries losing over $95 billion annually [6]. Our SDGs—the heartbeat of sustainable living and economic growth—express very clearly the interconnectedness between gender equality, clean energy and climate mitigation. The links between goal 5 on gender equality, goal 7 on clean affordable energy and goal 12 on climate action speaks directly to this. The gendered dimensions need to be understood in order to develop more inclusive and effective energy policies contributing to equity and ensuring sustainability.

And, since technological advancements and engineering are the two most common lenses through which energy access is viewed, we can almost be certain that in most parts of Africa, within governments, energy policymakers have little interaction with ministries and departments tasked with tackling vulnerable social equity issues, such as gender [7]. It will really help spell out the ways in which energy is essential for the fulfilment of basic human needs, when the gendered perspective is applied to energy poverty interventions. First, the idea of bringing women to the forefront in addressing our development and environmental challenges is not new. Secondly, gender and sustainable development are not two separate entities, but two sides of the same coin. A brief overview of most energy policies and relevant energy legislations in African regions notes the limited recognition of the differentiated energy needs and priorities for women, and even when there is a recognition, diversified issues relating to gender equality are not often brought to light, and are overlooked. There is also a high tendency to prioritize energy investments to promote industrial and commercial sectors rather than universal energy access in Africa [8]. This limits the available household energy resource in rural regions, affecting women due to their traditional roles in supplying fuel for the household.

Eminent energy initiatives on the African continent, such as the Mission 300, foster collectivism and advance progress toward universally sustainable energy access. To be hosted in Tanzania this year, the Africa Energy Summit (Mission 300) was held on January 27 – 28, 2025, gathering African Heads of State and private sector leaders. This and other energy interventions provide an opportunity to seize the moment and accelerate policy reforms that genuinely acknowledge gender equality and address the needs of women in rural regions who are victims of energy poverty. Renewable energy transition and promotion is also a key strategy to deal with the issue of gender disparities in energy. It is acknowledged that the African region does not have much choice when it comes to renewable energy adoption.

By affirming women's rights in new renewable energy initiatives, and incorporating the gendered impacts of energy poverty into national energy policies, there would be a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to dealing with issues relating to energy poverty in rural regions. This, tailored to government activities, would also mean that if access to clean energy comes to be accepted as a right, then lack of access, or discrimination amongst women in the delivery of energy services can be viewed as a violation of government obligations, ensuring accountability within the people who are charged with the responsibility of gender equity.

REFERENCES

IEA (International Energy Agency). (2024). ‘World Energy Outlook 2024.’ Paris. Available online: World Energy Outlook 2024 (accessed January 7, 2025).

UN (United Nations). (2021). ‘Women bear the brunt of the climate crisis, COP26 highlights.’ UN News. Available online: www.news.un.org (accessed January 7, 2025).

Standal, K. (n.d). ‘THINKING BEYOND THE BOX: Addressing Afghanistan’s Gender Inequality and Energy Poverty the ‘Barefoot’ way.’ CICERO, Oslo, Norway.

Lambrou, Y., Piana, G. (2006). ‘Energy and Gender Issues in Rural Sustainable Development, FAO (UN). Available online: https://www.fao.org/3/ai021e/ai021e00.pdf (accessed on January 20, 2025).

ABOUT WRITER

Emmanuel Bennin is a writer-poet, and sustainability advocate with a major in Natural Resources Management. Driven by his interest in climate action and ecosystem sustainability, Emmanuel's passion for researching through storytelling and advocacy drives his writing, aiming to inspire meaningful conversations that center sustainable development and consumption. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Management, He currently contributes to ASEC’s mission through research as a Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Intern.