Sustainable Development and its Impact on Energy

This article discusses the concept of sustainable development and its impact on energy supply and usage. It explores how energy plays a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promoting economic growth. The article also highlights the importance of energy in areas such as poverty eradication, food security, healthcare, education, gender equality, and water provision. Various renewable energy sources and efficient technologies are discussed as solutions to address these challenges.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Introduction
Sustainable development refers to the principle of organization that is used in meeting goals of
human development while at the same time ensuring sustenance of the natural ecosystems ability
to provide ecosystem services and other natural resources. It is upon these services that the
society and the economy success depend on. It is the desire of each and every society to have all
the needs of human met without interference with the stability and integrity of the natural
systems(Grubler et al.2018). Sustainable development, therefore, comes out as one of those
initiatives that meet the needs of the current state without posing threat to the success of future
generations. It is along these principles that Sustainable Development Goals commonly refer to
as SDG were established. SDG initiative has identified energy supply to be the prime mover in is
parameters and dimensions of operations.
The sustainable Development Goal program is structured in a manner that allows
for the identification of the problems that are being experienced worldwide. In its structure of
operations, the use of energy has taken the focal point of all the activities. According to the goals
set by the SDG, the program aimed at eradicating poverty for all the people everywhere. It has
been discovered through research that the majority of the poor people live on less than $1.25 per
day(Kyriakopoulos et al.2016). The program, therefore, seeks to reduce by half the number of
men, children, and women of all ages living in poverty as per the dimensions of the national
standards. The program will, therefore, ensure that they have an equal right to the economic
resources, ownership, and control of the land access to the basic services, control over natural
resources, and access to financial services with microfinance included:

In order to effectively achieve the goal of eliminating extreme poverty, energy will play a major
role in ensuring commercialization and production of efficient cook stoves to support the
vulnerable families. Also rise of the renewable energy sources like the use of the PV solar panels
and installations of the Pico PV lamps will lead to the job creation that will act as the source of
income to both men and women. The families will, therefore, save time and money as a result of
the reduced fuel demand for lighting and cooking. The access to the services of the energy is
actually a prerequisite for any development in terms of the economic vibrancy since it makes the
activities of an entrepreneur to go beyond the daylight hours (Osborn, Cutter and Ullah 2015).
The SDG program is determined to achieve food security, end hunger, promote
sustainable agriculture and improve nutrition by 2030. The program seeks to end hunger and
ensures that all the poor people including those living in vulnerable conditions like infants get
access to the nutritious safe and sustainable food supply. In the same manner, it seeks to double
the agricultural productivity and the income of the food producers like the family farmers,
pastoralists and indigenous people by ensuring equal and secure access to productive resources
like land, on-farm employment and market opportunities for value addition (Rasul 2016). This
will go along with ensuring sustainable systems of food production as well as the implementation
of the resilient practices of agriculture that will assist in the maintenance of the ecosystem,
strengthen the ability to cope up with the changes of the climate like flooding, drought and other
kind s of the extreme weather (Rasul 2016).
In light of the above goals, it is important to acknowledge that over 95% of the food that is being
used is usually cooked before their consumption. The supply of enough cooking fuels to setting
ups like refugee camps to be used by people in cooking food are of high relevance. The
improved access to effective technologies as well as fuels will make the preparation of food

considered nutritious like beans easier and cheaper. The aim to increase agricultural productivity
will only be achieved through intensive irrigation programs. A lot of energy will be needed to
support such programs of irrigation including pumping of water. Other agricultural-related
activities like drying of grains and subsequent milling will need a considerable amount of energy
and this puts the energy at the center of everything.
None of the goals that have been set by the SDG program will succeed in case the
matters of health are not properly handled. The program is focused on promoting well –being
and ensuring healthy lives for all ages. When it comes to the functioning system of health, the
key component will be energy (Giwa et al. 2017). Medicines and vaccines will need to be kept
safe and refrigerated. Also, most of the equipment will need to be sterilized as well as light
needed for energy operations at night. Improved technology for the energy generation like the
use of the PV solar panels will ensure very little emissions of carbon particles into the
atmosphere hence the result will be reduced or lowered diseases of respiration. Also, the
replacement of the traditional systems of lighting and cooking by the use of solar lanterns and
improved cook stoves respectively will result in the eliminations of burns. The program focuses
on the reduction of the preventable death of infants which are caused by respiratory infections
due to the particles of carbon released by fossil fuels in indoor air pollution. The use of solar
lighting system will be important in the reduction of these carbon particles emissions (Nerini et
al.2016).
The pioneers of the SDG program have recognized that access to equitable and
inclusive education will serve as the key pillar in support of various activities, especially among
the vulnerable groups. In this regard, it is within their primary goals to ensure that all boys and
girls complete equitable, free and quality primary education as well as secondary education that

will lead them to meaningful learning outcomes. This will go alongside ensuring that all other
men and women access affordable and quality vocational training. Computer literacy has been
identified as the key driver of the management processes hence similar training will be offered at
the vocational centers.
Very vibrant energy sector will ensure that alternatives energy sources are provided for cooking
so that children are spared time of firewood collection. This time will be used to attend to school
work. Women undergoing vocational training will spend less time while using cookstoves as
opposed to the use of firewood. Efficient energy initiatives will be useful in the support of the
feeding programs in various educational centers. The school going children will be able to have
evening studies thus improvements in the performance. The use of educational media and other
means of communication include phones and computers will need a constant and sustainable
supply of clean and efficient energy.
Gender-based violence and gender inequality have been identified by the pioneers
of the SDG program as one of the challenges to be addressed in order to have vision 2030
achieved. The program is therefore committed to empowering all women and girls while
achieving gender quality. There is recognition of the unpaid care as well as domestic work by the
provision of public services, promotion of the shared responsibility and social protection. Also,
the target is to enhance enabling technology in communication technology as well as information
technology that focuses on the empowerment of women. The efficient energy systems will
ensure reduction on the time spent by our women on the survival activities considered basic like
fetching of water and collection of firewood. Energy will be used to pump water to homesteads
and the use of cookstoves will reduce the use of firewood (Assembly 2015).

Water is life! Any meaningful sustainable program for economic growth must ensure
proper sanitation and provision of clean water for all. Water shortage has been identified as a
threat to achieving the success of SDG initiatives. The program is focused on ensuring that there
is universal access to affordable and safe water for drinking. This will include ensuring that the
water sources like forests, wetlands, aquifers, and rivers are properly protected. The programs of
water desalination and water purification to ensure the provision of drinking of clean water to all
will need a substantial amount of energy(Schwerhoff and Sy 2017). It will be more efficient to
have this particular issue addressed by the use of wind and solar energy that are known to be
sustainable. Also, the use of the energy saving cookstoves, as well as other efficient technologies
of producing charcoal, will lower pressure on the ecosystem this the demand of the charcoal will
go down as well as lowering pressure on the forests.
Conclusion
The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in various ways but its core objective
and approach to the matters pertaining to the development which are already in the competition
are the same. The focus is on the needs against social, economic and environmental awareness in
the society. The developments are delivered with one specific need without consideration to the
future impacts has been one major problem. The damages that this particular kind of process can
cause are already evident. These consequences among others that are yet to be experienced make
the concept of SDG to be an idea whose time in already tripe and should be implemented to its
full potential.

References
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