Energy

A well-established energy system is necessary to support all sectors: business, health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, communications, and technology. Without electricity, women and girls have to spend hours fetching water, clinics cannot store vaccines for children, many schoolchildren cannot do homework at night, and people cannot run competitive businesses. Fossil fuels have been major sources of electricity production for many years, but burning these fuels produces large amounts of greenhouse gases that cause climate change and air pollution, causing negative impacts on human health and the environment. Access to electricity in developing countries has expanded, energy efficiency continues to improve, and renewable energy is making impressive gains. Countries can accelerate the transition to an affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy system by investing in renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and tidal. Governments can also prioritize energy efficient practices, adopt clean energy technologies and infrastructure, and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.

Events and Articles

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Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 and SDG7 Policy Briefs 2023

Released on the eve of the 2023 High-level Political Forum’s in-depth review of SDG7 progress, Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 highlights that growth in the number of people with access to energy is not at the rate it needs to be to achieve the SDG target, with only 92% of global population expected to have energy access by 2030.
Event 11 July 2023

Biodiversity and the Energy Revolution

Releasing the results of a book on Biodiversity and Revolution of Energy and Electric Power, this forum addressed the unsustainable, fossil fuel-dominated pattern of energy development as a major underlying issue and contributor to the biodiversity crisis.
Event 16 December 2022

EnergyNow SDG7 Action Forum

Energy leaders discussed challenges and opportunities related to the energy transition and took stock of progress on the over 185 voluntary Energy Compact commitments that were announced during the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy.
Event 23 September 2022

Global Launch – Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2022 and SDG7 Policy Briefs 2022

Speakers observed that these publications arrive at the half-way mark of the 2030 Agenda, as the world struggles to achieve the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as grappling with COVID-19 challenges and the “triple crisis” for food, energy and financing caused by the Ukraine crisis. Marie-Louise Koch Wegter, Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN and Co-Chair of Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy, invited everyone to “act” after reading the 2022 publications.
Event 1 June 2022

High-level Dialogue on Energy

The first high-level meeting to tackle energy issues under the United Nations General Assembly in 40 years demonstrated broad interest in accelerating ambition towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) on affordable and clean energy and the net-zero emissions by 2050 goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Event 24 September 2021

Energy Action Days

Immediately prior to the High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE), Energy Action Days brought together representatives of business, foundations, cities, youth and other segments of civil society to announce “Energy Compact” commitments. 
Event 22 September 2021 - 23 September 2021