The world is not on track to meet the global energy targets for 2030 set as part of the Sustainable Development Goals

Source: Progress on global energy goals slow, but strong gains in countries show promise

In 2015, the United Nations launched the 2030 Agenda and its relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the aim of addressing the global socio-economic challenges over the following fifteen years.

SDG7 is the goal referred to energy: ‘Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’. The specific targets for this goal are the following:

• 7.1: Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
• 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• 7.3: Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

Target 7.1 is normally translated into i) electricity access and ii) reduction of the use of solid fuels for cooking purposes.

The International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have produced a joint report which tries to assess the global progress towards the achievement of SDG7. Apparently the progress is quite slow, but there are aspects which allow for good hopes for the near future.

The webpage reported in this post offers a thorough overview of the research outcome. A link to the full document can also be found.