May 14th, 2012 11:02 AM UTC
By Tom Wallace
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 How are you reading this right now? On a computer I expect – perhaps you are sitting in an office or library with the lights on?
Now imagine if the power went out… No power would make it a tricky to read this wouldn’t it? No power means: no computer, no power to charge your mobile phone, no email, no working fridge, no electric kettle, no evening light…
Now imagine the power went out everywhere… homes, offices, street lights, factories, train stations, banks and ATM machines… even hospitals… for 6 months!
How are you going to live? How will you store and cook your food? What happens if you get ill? Would you still be able to do your job? How could you earn a living and provide for your family in this world without power?
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Apr 24th, 2012 2:30 PM UTC
By Tom Wallace
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UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell announced today that the UK will support two million people in some of the world’s poorest countries access clean and reliable energy.
In a press statement released after the Deputy Prime Minister meet with members of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) High Level Group, the Deputy Prime Minister said:
“It is completely unacceptable that in today’s world an estimated 900 million people will still be without electricity by 2030.”
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Apr 18th, 2012 12:25 PM UTC
By Tom Wallace
Apr 16th, 2012 10:27 AM UTC
By Tom Wallace
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 It is extraordinary that in 2012 nearly 7 in 10 people living in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity or modern energy sources.
The majority of these people have to heat their homes and cook on open fires using traditional fuels like wood. The smoke and fumes produced from these traditional energy sources contributes to nearly 2 million deaths every year across the world, mainly affecting women and children.
But, it has wider implications too.
It means that huge swathes of people have no evening light, limited access to modern communications and inadequate education and health facilities, which are all vital for reducing poverty.
Unreliable or unaffordable electricity also means businesses struggle to function and prosper -– both in urban and rural areas. Addressing this is crucial to providing jobs -– which the world’s poorest prioritize above all else.
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Jan 18th, 2012 2:42 PM UTC
By Tom Wallace
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This week at the World Future Energy Summit in Abi Dhabi, the UN officially declared 2012 the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.” This declaration marks the increased recognition of and support for tackling energy poverty.
 World leaders gather in Abu Dhabi for the World Future Energy Summit
In the opening address of the Summit, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon officially announced 2012 as the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All” to the 157 nations and 57 international organizations present. In addition, the Secretary General also launched his initiative of the same name. The Sustainable Energy for All Initiative will call for private sector and national commitments and attract global attention to the importance of energy for development and poverty alleviation. There are three specific goals of initiative to meet by 2030:
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Dec 8th, 2011 3:44 PM UTC
By Tom Wallace
Last week, I attended the launch of the “Momentum for Change” initiative launched in Durban, South Africa on in the sidelines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s COP17 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Nov 14th, 2011 10:02 AM UTC
By Tom Wallace
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At the G20 in Cannes, a high level panel of investment and infrastructure experts –- including ONE board member Mo Ibrahim –- submitted its report on increasing infrastructure financing in developing countries.
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