Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7 or Global Goal 7) is one of 17

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

established by the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

in 2015. It aims to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all." Access to energy is an important pillar for the wellbeing of the people as well as for

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

and

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

alleviation. The goal has five targets to be achieved by 2030. Progress towards the targets is measured by six indicators. Three out of the five targets are ''outcome targets'': Universal access to modern energy; increase global percentage of

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

; double the improvement in energy efficiency. The remaining two targets are ''means of implementation targets Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License'': to promote access to research, technology and investments in

clean energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and s ...

; and expand and upgrade energy services for developing countries. In other words, these targets include access to affordable and reliable energy while increasing the share of renewable energy in the global

energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy, primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and ...

. They also focus on improving energy efficiency, international cooperation and investment in clean energy infrastructure，and equal rights to energy distribution. According to a review report in 2019, some progress towards achieving SDG 7 is being made, but many of the targets of SDG 7 will not be met.IEA, IRENA, UNSD, WB, WHO (2019)
Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2019
, Washington DC (o
Tracking SDG 7 website
) SDG 7 and SDG 13 (

climate action Climate action (or climate change action) refers to a range of activities, mechanisms, policy instruments, and so forth that aim at reducing the severity of human-induced climate change and its impacts. "More climate action" is a central demand o ...

) are closely related.

Problem description

SDG 7 is tackling the problem of the high number of people globally who live without access to electricity or

clean cooking One aspect of energy poverty is lack of access to clean, modern fuels and technologies for cooking. As of 2020, more than 2.6 billion people in developing countries routinely cook with fuels such as wood, animal dung, coal, or kerosene. Burning ...

solutions (0.8 billion and 2.4 billion people, respectively, in 2020). Energy is needed for many activities, for example jobs and transport,

food security Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy Human food, food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Simila ...

, health and education. People that are hard to reach with electricity and clean cooking solutions include those who live in remote areas or are

internally displaced people An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. I ...

, or those who live in urban slums or marginalized communities. As well as addressing a range of inequalities in the distribution of resources.

Targets, indicators and progress

SDG 7 has five targets, measured with five indicators, which are to be achieved by 2030. Three out of the five targets are "outcome targets", and two are "means of achieving targets".

Target 7.1: Universal access to modern energy

The first target of SDG 7 is Target 7.1: "By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services".United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
A/RES/71/313
This target has two indicators:Ritchie, Roser, Mispy, Ortiz-Ospina (2018
"Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals." (SDG 7)
''SDG-Tracker.org, website'' Text was copied from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
/ref> * Indicator 7.1.1: Proportion of population with

access to electricity Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access International Advisors, a hed ...

* Indicator 7.1.2: Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology. A report from 2019 found that India, Bangladesh, and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

had made good progress with supplying more of their people with electricity. Globally, there are now (2020) 800 million people still without electricity, compared with 1.2 billion people in 2010. There are several options to tackle this problem, for example private sector financing and ensuring that rural areas get access to electricity. This may involve decentralized renewable energy. Women are disproportionately affected by indoor air pollution caused by the use of fuels such as

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and wood indoors. Reasons for not changing over to clean cooking solutions can include higher fuel costs and the need to change cooking processes.

Target 7.2: Increase global percentage of renewable energy

The second target of SDG 7 is Target 7.2: "By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix." It has only one indicator: Indicator 7.2.1 is the "Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption". Data from 2016 showed that the share of

compared to total energy consumption was 17.5%.

Target 7.3: Double the improvement in energy efficiency

The third target of SDG 7 is Target 7.3: "By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency". It has one indicator: Indicator 7.3.1 is the "Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP". In general, energy efficiency has been going up in recent years, in particular in China. Governments can help with this process for example by providing suitable financial incentives and by helping people access information about energy efficiency.

Target 7.a: Promote access to research, technology and investments in clean energy

The fourth target of SDG 7 is Target 7.a: "By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to

research and technology, including

, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology". It has one indicator: Indicator 7.4.1 is the "International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems". There is twice the amount of international financing for renewable energy going to developing countries in 2017 compared to 2010. In 2017 most of this financing (nearly half) went to

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

and nearly 20% to solar power projects. More investments are needed for global energy access, namely for electrification and clean cooking: A report in 2021 state that "the financing community is failing to deliver on SDG7".

Target 7.b: Expand and upgrade energy services for developing countries

The fifth target of SDG 7 is formulated as: "Target 7.b: By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and

sustainable energy Energy system, Energy is sustainability, sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the e ...

services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programs of support." It has one indicator, which used to measure "Investments in energy efficiency as a proportion of GDP and the amount of foreign direct investment in financial transfer for infrastructure and technology to sustainable development services," but this has since been changed. The current indicator is 7.b.1: "Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)." As of August 2020, there is no data available for this indicator. It was reported in 2020 that Indicator 7.b.1 might be removed as it is identical with indicator 12.1.1 of SDG 12.

Custodian agencies

Custodian agencies are in charge of reporting on the following indicators: * Indicators 7.1.1 and 7.1.2:

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

(WB) and

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO). * Indicator 7.2.1: Department of Economic and Social Affairs- Statistics Division (DESA/UNDP), International Energy Agency (IEA) and

International Renewable Energy Agency The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organization mandated to facilitate cooperation, advance knowledge, and promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is the first international organis ...

(IRENA). * Indicator 7.3.1 are Department of Economic and Social Affairs- Statistics Division (DESA/UNDP) and

International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the global energy sector. The 31 member countries and 13 associatio ...

(IEA). * Indicator 7.a.1: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and

(IRENA). * Indicator 7.b.1:

(IEA).

Overall progress and monitoring

The UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) meets every year for global monitoring of the SDGs, under the auspices of the

United Nations economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

. High-level progress reports for all the SDGs are published by the United Nations Secretary General.United Nations Economic and Social Council (2020
Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals Report of the Secretary-General
High-level political forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (E/2020/57), 28 April 2020United Nations Economic and Social Council (2019
Special edition: progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
Report of the Secretary-General (E/2019/68), High-level political forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (8 May 2019) In 2022, the renewable energy- generating capacity in developing countries has increased by 58% in renewable capacity per capita. However, the international financial flows to developing countries to support renewable energy was 24% lower than in 2018. Despite having progress in 2019 to 2020, there has been recent global events such as the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

has impacted global progress in renewable energy and decarbonization transition by having it at a halt or decreasing rather than increasing. Despite progress, the world is in 2022 not on track to achieve SDG 7. The progress towards SDG 7 has not been faster due to the world entering its third year of COVID-19 along with the highest number of violent conflicts and with the Russian invasion of Ukraine creating one of the largest refugee crises to happen. There are still over 700 million people without access to electricity and about 2.4 billion cooking with harmful fuels that also are polluting the environment. More efforts need to be exerted to improved use of renewable energy and energy efficiency faster. These events has had catastrophic effect the livelihoods of many people and though in 2021, as the global economy started to rebound, these chain of events and negative effects as caused the global economy and progress to SDG 7 and other SDGs to slow down. According to the 2020 SDG report, affordable and reliable energy is now needed more than ever, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, to supply hospitals and health facilities as well as access to energy for students learning remotely. Access to electricity has improved strongly in Asia and Latin America, so that an increasing share of people without access live in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that around 620 million people would still lack access to electricity if the world continues to move at the current pace by 2030.

Challenges

In 2020, it was reported that many health facilities in developing countries (about 25%) still have no electricity at all or have frequent outages. This was particularly problematic during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. During the crisis progress has been seen in some aspect of SDG7 such as improvement in energy efficiency, use of renewable energy and increased access to electricity to people. Even in developed countries, there are still energy-poor groups. For example, the Aboriginal people living in remote areas of Canada, the Inuit, etc., most of them still use expensive and inconveniently supplied diesel engines.

Links with other SDGs

The SDGs are all interlinked. Energy (or SDG 7) is key to most global issues: this includes poverty eradication ( SDG 1),

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

( SDG 5),

( SDG 13),

( SDG 2),

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

( SDG 3),

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

( SDG 4), sustainable cities ( SDG 11), jobs ( SDG 8) and

transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

( SDG 9). SDG 7 and SDG 13 (climate action) are closely related. Access to energy is directly related to human development. This is particularly true for women, who spend more of their time collecting fuel and water, and preparing meals. Access to energy would allow them to spend more time on education and work. Women need to be given equal pay, equal treatment and equal status. According to

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity charged with working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women is charged with advocating for the righ ...

, energy interventions that take into perspective women's needs have a significant impact on addressing gender equality and community

energy poverty In developing countries and some areas of more developed countries, energy poverty is lack of access to modern energy services in the home. In 2022, 759 million people lacked access to consistent electricity and 2.6 billion people used dangerous a ...

while also ensuring the equal participation of women in energy intervention that in turn benefits the society at large.

Organizations

There are five custodian agencies for SDG 7 which together published the 2020 Energy Progress Report: *

(IEA) *

(IRENA) *

United Nations Statistics Division The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), formerly the United Nations Statistical Office, serves under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) as the central mechanism within the Secretariat of the United Nations ...

(UNSD) *

(WB) *

(WHO)

References

External links

Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform (SDG 7)

Energypedia
- collaborative knowledge exchange on various energy topics in developing countries
Understanding SDG 7“Global Goals” Campaign - SDG 7SDG-Track.org - SDG 7UN SDG 7 in the US
{{Sustainable Development Goals United Nations General Assembly Renewable energy policy Sustainable Development Goals United Nations documents Sustainable energy 2015 establishments in New York City Projects established in 2015