There are currently around 8 billion people living in the world today. This is set to rise to 9 billion by 2050.
How do we make sure that everyone has equal access to energy today and in the future?
Around 1.3 billion people, mainly in Africa, India and other developing countries in Asia, do not have access to electricity.
Having electricity provides light that can keep factories working when it’s dark and increase manufacture, to being able to move away from fuel like kerosene used in lamps and cookers in the home, which can be damaging to health.
Developing countries being able to improve their standard of living and move towards becoming more developed could mean relying on whatever energy resources they have available and can afford.
This can prove difficult to meet the third issue in the energy trilemma: sustainability. Secure and affordable resources in areas like China and India revolve mainly around coal, the least clean of all the fossil fuels.
However, it is debated that if resources like coal are all that is available to these countries, they should be able to use them in order to reach a point where they have the infrastructure and money to look at low carbon sources and technology like Carbon Capture and Storage when they are able to.
After all, coal fuelled the UK and other developed nations economies during the Industrial Revolution, so why shouldn’t developing nations get the same opportunity?
Energy demand is seen to be linked to economic growth and increase in population, both of which are taking place in several large developing countries, such as China, which is the largest producer of green house gases due to their use of coal.
Demand is staying relatively steady in other parts of the world thanks to more efficient technologies that use less energy, as well as some behaviour changes by consumers.
According to BP’s Energy Outlook 2017, Africa will account for around half the rise in population by 2035. This report also forecasts that developing countries will prove to be the biggest contributor to the rise in cars from nearly 1 billion in 2015 to just under 2 billion by 2035.
Energy use in India is expected to grow fastest, even more than China, and that’s with old energy technologies and resources.
In order for India and other developing countries to develop, a lot of energy will be required, both for their manufacturing needs as well as for their increase in populations.
The country currently uses coal for 55% of its energy needs, because it is the most available and cheapest source for them to use. India is looking towards nuclear and renewables in the near future to provide low carbon energy, as well as natural gas to help ease between coal and new resources.
Despite developing countries being unable to access the same energy resources and technologies as developed countries, they are sometimes affected most by the negative effects of energy use more than developed countries.
By giving money to less developed nations, developed countries can help them organise their energy plans and technology for the future, as well as help with preventing damage due to the effects of climate change.
Some more developed nations are volunteering to give money to these countries to help with their development.
Research is being carried out by different organisations, including Oxford University, as to how we can bridge the energy gap between developed and developing countries.
The team at Oxford are creating easy to fix, low cost energy technologies that can be used in rural villages, as well as looking at how to create sustainable travel to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions and reliance on oil.
Kwa sasa kuna watu bilioni nane duniani. Idadi hiyo inatarajiwa kuongezeka hadi bilioni 9 kufikia mwaka 2050. Jinsi gani tunaweza kuhakikisha kwamba kila mtu ana upatikanaji sawa wa nishati leo na katika siku zijazo? Watu bilioni 1.3 katika Afrika, India na nchi nyingine zinazoendelea Asia hawana umeme. Kuweza kuwa na umeme hutoa mwanga ambao unaweza kuweka viwanda vinafanya kazi wakati ni giza na kuongeza utengenezaji, kuweza kuhamia mbali na mafuta kama kerosene inayotumiwa katika taa na vyakula nyumbani, ambayo inaweza kuwa na madhara kwa afya. Nchi zinazoendelea zinaweza kuboresha kiwango chao cha maisha na kuhamia kuelekea kuwa maendeleo zaidi, ikimaanisha kutegemea rasilimali zozote za nishati ambazo zinapatikana na zinaweza kulipia. Hii inaweza kuthibitisha kuwa vigumu kukutana na suala la tatu katika trilemma ya nishati: uendelevu. Rasilimali za usalama na za bei nafuu katika maeneo kama vile China na India huzunguka makaa ya mawe, ambayo ni safi zaidi kati ya mafuta yote ya visukuku. Hata hivyo, kuna mjadala kwamba ikiwa rasilimali kama makaa ya mawe ni yote ambayo inapatikana kwa nchi hizi, wanapaswa kuwa na uwezo wa kuzitumia ili kufikia hatua ambapo wana miundombinu na fedha za kuangalia vyanzo vya chini ya kaboni na teknolojia kama vile Carbon Capture na Uhifadhi. Baada ya yote, makaa ya mawe yalichochea uchumi wa Uingereza na mataifa mengine yaliyoendelea wakati wa Mapinduzi ya Viwanda, kwa nini mataifa yanayoendelea yasipate fursa hiyo hiyo? Mahitaji ya nishati yanaonekana kuwa na uhusiano na ukuaji wa uchumi na ongezeko la idadi ya watu, ambayo yote mawili yanafanyika katika nchi kadhaa kubwa zinazoendelea, kama vile China, ambayo ni mtayarishaji mkubwa wa gesi za chafu kwa sababu ya matumizi yao ya makaa ya mawe. Mahitaji ya umeme yanaendelea kuwa ya kawaida katika sehemu nyingine za dunia, kutokana na teknolojia bora zaidi ambazo hutumia nishati kidogo, na mabadiliko ya tabia ya watumiaji. Kulingana na BP's Energy Outlook 2017, Afrika itahesabu karibu nusu ya ongezeko la idadi ya watu ifikapo 2035. Ripoti hiyo pia inatarajia kwamba nchi zinazoendelea zitakuwa na mchango mkubwa zaidi katika kuongezeka kwa magari kutoka karibu bilioni 1 mnamo 2015 hadi karibu bilioni 2 kufikia 2035. Matumizi ya nishati nchini India yanatarajiwa kukua kwa kasi zaidi, hata zaidi ya China, na hiyo ni kwa teknolojia za zamani za nishati na rasilimali. Ili India na nchi nyingine zinazoendelea kuendeleza maendeleo yao, itahitaji nishati nyingi, kwa ajili ya mahitaji yao ya utengenezaji na pia kwa ajili ya ongezeko la idadi ya watu. Kwa sasa, nchi hiyo hutumia makaa ya mawe kwa asilimia 55 ya mahitaji yake ya nishati, kwa sababu ni chanzo cha nishati kinachopatikana na cha bei nafuu zaidi. India inatafuta nyuklia na nishati mbadala katika siku zijazo za karibu ili kutoa nishati ya chini ya kaboni, na gesi ya asili kusaidia kuwezesha kati ya makaa ya mawe na rasilimali mpya. Ingawa nchi zinazoendelea hazina uwezo wa kupata rasilimali na teknolojia sawa na nchi zilizoendelea, wakati mwingine zinaathiriwa zaidi na athari mbaya za matumizi ya nishati kuliko nchi zilizoendelea. Kwa kutoa fedha kwa mataifa yasiyoendelea, nchi zilizoendelea zinaweza kuwasaidia kupanga mipango yao ya nishati na teknolojia kwa siku zijazo, na pia kusaidia kuzuia uharibifu kutokana na athari za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Mataifa mengine yaliyoendelea zaidi yanajitolea kutoa pesa kwa nchi hizi ili kusaidia katika maendeleo yao. "Mashirika mbalimbali, ikiwa ni pamoja na Chuo Kikuu cha Oxford, yanafanya utafiti kuhusu jinsi tunavyoweza ""kuunganisha"" pengo la nishati kati ya nchi zilizoendelea na zinazoendelea." Timu ya Oxford inaunda teknolojia za nishati rahisi kurekebisha, gharama nafuu ambazo zinaweza kutumika katika vijiji vya vijijini, na pia kuangalia jinsi ya kuunda usafiri endelevu ili kupunguza uzalishaji wa kaboni dioksidi na utegemezi wa mafuta.