Energy, Development and Environment Nexus: A Review

Abstract

Since the beginning of the economic era, human beings have exploited and used different sorts of energy which renovated living conditions for billions of people enabling them to relish a level of comfort and flexibility unprecedented in human history which enabled to perform productive tasks. For most of the past century constant growth in energy consumption has been closely knotted to intensifying levels of wealth and commercial prospect. Demand for energy is growing rapidly in developing countries due to rapid population growth and rapid economic expansion. This is forecasted to lead to a near doubling in primary energy use, much of it is unsustainable, in the coming couple of decades. Due to this high demand, 50% of primary energy is utilized in developing countries and will be responsible for 52% fossil fuel related Carbon dioxide emission by 2030. Energy services are provided with least cost and are environmentally friendly when derived from clean and renewable energy resources. On the contrary, unit cost of energy services provided from non-network sources are costly and polluting to the environment. The link between energy and climate change is that climate change engrosses the energy sector predominantly closely because energy is central both to the problem and its resolution.

Keywords:Energy, development, environment, climate change, millennium development goals, Human Development Index, energy poverty, energy and poverty.

DOI: 10.7176/JETP/11-3-01

Publication date:June 30^th 2021