Affordable and Clean Energy
Access to light, power, and resources to cook food all stems from energy. These factors are essential to quality of life, education, and security.
Yet today, 1 in 7 people do not have access to electricity.
From accessibility to cost, there are barriers that contribute to these numbers.
The lack of people with energy access is only one part of the energy problem. What kind of energy being used is the other.
According to United Nations statistics, over 40% of the world uses fuels for cooking that are pollutants or considered harmful. These included oils and gases.
This has regional and global effects.
Regionally, these energy sources can pollute the air, contaminate waterways, and allow harmful chemicals into the earth.
Globally, these energy sources emit greenhouse gases that warm the earth. The UN reports that energy produces 60% of greenhouse gases, making it a primary contributor to climate change.
How Trees Can Help
Trees themselves can be completely utilized. In the past, because of this, trees have often been taken down whole to be used for many resources, among them energy.
As scientists discover more ways to use trees, they have also discovered more ways to use them in an eco-friendly way.
Burning biomass from trees for fuel has been around for some years. Now, people are finding more sustainable ways to do it.
Instead of using grown, C02 absorbing trees, to gather this energy, there are now ways to get energy without chopping down forests.
See how trees support all sustainable development goals here.
Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay.
