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Reducing poverty can actually lower energy demand, finds research:
[...] We found that households that do have access to clean fuels, safe water, basic education and adequate food—that is, those not in extreme poverty—can use as little as half the energy of the national average in their country.
This is important, as it goes directly against the argument that more resources and energy will be needed for people in the global south to escape extreme poverty. The biggest factor is the switch from traditional cooking fuels, like firewood or charcoal, to more efficient (and less polluting) electricity and gas.
In Zambia, Nepal and Vietnam, modern energy resources are extremely unfairly distributed—more so than income, general spending, or even spending on leisure. As a consequence, poorer households use more dirty energy than richer households, with ensuing health and gender impacts. Cooking with inefficient fuels consumes a lot of energy, and even more when water needs to be boiled before drinking.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by sjames on Sunday June 06 2021, @04:41AM (7 children)
It would be much cheaper to liquidate just a few hundred at the top of the pile and spread their wealth to the bottom of the pile.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by DrkShadow on Sunday June 06 2021, @05:56AM (5 children)
Would it, though?
Do these places already have natural gas and electricity connections? Or are we talking about a lot of excavation, wires, telephone poles, copper mining, and etc for a huuuuge new area of land? What if they live out in the boonies? I'm not talking United States here, I'm talking central Brazil: Do they even have the infrastructure to support this? (I'm not sure they do.) How much Diesel fuel will have to be burnt in its construction?
Central Brazil again, I stayed in one of the bigger cities recently and there was a large gas tank next to the stove. That was the cooking fuel. Does that count, or will we need new natural gas projects to pipe gas into where the users can get it? There was one light bulb in each room, and a TV with an antenna. Do we need new solar power projects, which are already competing for resources, and high voltage lines run across half of South America (or more) and last-mile (ten mile?) solutions? I'm not sure this is even possible.
Is this another pure overpopulation problem, where the only resources left is wood to burn to make dinner? (or is that not the case?)
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 06 2021, @06:10AM (3 children)
Let them eat cake. So tired of hearing poor people problems. What about Kim Kardashian's ass?!!!
(Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday June 06 2021, @08:55AM (1 child)
We could liposuction it and make biodiesel?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 07 2021, @05:51AM
Or candles. I'd buy Kardashian ass-smelling candles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 08 2021, @02:50AM
Kanye? They got divorced earlier this year.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday June 06 2021, @09:02AM
Many people in the rural (and a few not so rural) U.S. have large LPG tanks in the back yard rather than a gas pipe, it seems to work OK. Part of the electrical system is the way it is in the 1st world because it was dictated by the technology available when it was put in. Perhaps the deeveloping world can take advaitage of the many advances that have happened since then.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 06 2021, @06:28PM
Hey, let's cool it with the antisemitic remarks.