Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Around the world there has been strong progress towards Goal 7. Electricity is becoming more renewable and more widely available. However, even though there has been a lot of progress, especially in less developed countries, there are still millions of people who lack access. The lack of electricity has become an even more pressing issue with the current pandemic, as many hospitals around the world are not able to adequately treat patients without medical equipment that relies on electricity. Beyond closing the gaps in access to electricity, more focus is needed on clean and safe cooking fuels and technologies, and expanding the use of renewable energy outside of the electricity sector. Here are some statistics from the U.N. regarding the status of Goal 7 around the globe.

Global electrification rose from 83% in 2010 to 90% in 2018, but 789 million people still lacked access to electricity. Nearly 550 million of these people were in Sub-Saharan Africa
Roughly 3 billion people still rely on wood, charcoal, and even animal waste for cooking and heating. Indoor air pollution, caused by combustible fuels caused 4.3 million deaths in 2012
In 2017 only 17.3% of energy consumption came from renewable sources, up from 16.3% in 2010. Much faster progress is needed to reach long-term Climate goals.
Currently, in some developing countries, as many as 1 in 4 hospitals are not electrified
In 2017, financial flows to developing countries for renewable energy totaled more than 21 Billion, but only 12% went to LDC’s (Least Developed Countries)
For more statistics related to Affordable and Clean Energy, please see the Goal 7 Progress site here

Goal 7 Targets:

7.1 By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
7.3 By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
7.A By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology
7.B By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

This Month’s Challenge:

In August 2020, we are sharing more datasets thanks to our friends at the Centre for Humanitarian Data. Links to a number of datasets from the Humanitarian Data Exchange related to Affordable and Clean Energy can be found on our data.world site here. And as always, we are sharing Goal related data from the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goal Database, with regional data on all of the targets listed above.

If you would like participate, you can use data from any source, but the overall goal is to focus your analysis on some of the energy related topics mentioned in the Targets section above. If you come across other interesting datasets, please let us know so we can add them to our page on data.world. The deadline for submission will be August 31, 2020. Make sure to tag us in your submission, add the #TheSDGVizProject hashtag, and add your submission to #TheSDGVizProject tracker.

As we mentioned on our Home page, building a viz is not the only way to participate. Our main goal is to spread awareness, so if you see a viz with #TheSDGVizProject, please share it. And keep an eye out for a post at the end of the month with ways that you can contribute to this month’s goal.