Energy Portraits
A photo project to illustrate the different challenges to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, around the world
CONTEXT
We find ourselves in the ‘energy paradox’. On the one hand, energy is key to human development, as it is an enabler of many of the SDGs, while on the other hand it is also the main cause for the increased GHG emission over the past 100 years.
The SDG7 aims to address both issues simultaneously by proposing that we all have the right to access to energy as an enabler of development, but this energy must be modern, i.e., it must come from renewable sources and the use must be as efficient as possible in order to limit the emissions of Greenhouse Gasses (GHG). This is the only way to protect the planet from the negative effects of climate change.
SDG7 is therefore pertinent to developing countries, as that is where the lack of access to energy lies, as well as developed and emerging countries, as that is where the highest fossil fuels consumption currently is.
To incorporate all these elements, the SDG7 includes four distinct goals that need to be tackled and improved simultaneous at varying degrees depending on the situation in the given country or location in order to meet the universal access to modern energy goal, namely:
1. Access to electricity
2. Access to clean fuels for cooking
3. Renewable energy
4. Energy efficiency
OBJECTIVE
The collection of Energy Portraits focus on all the different dimensions of SDG 7 such as energy access, its costs and options, its quality, its environmental implications as well as how renewable energy and energy efficiency may offer solutions to the SDG7 challenge. The nexus with other SDGs is given particular focus in the collection and in the narrative within the Project as it recognises the crucial role energy plays in meeting many of the other SDG challenges, such as poverty and hunger (SDG 1 and 2), health (SDG3), education (SDG4), gender equality (SDG5), access to safe water (SDG6), decent work and productivity (SDG8 and 9), equal opportunities (SDG10), sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), responsible consumption and production (SDG12) and climate change (SDG13).
Energy Portraits put the Global North and the Global South together around common challenges ensuring access to affordable and modern energy for all while protecting the environment from climate change.
DELIVERABLES
The Energy Portraits project has produced:
- Three independen photo catalogues - please explore here: https://www.energyportraits.org/the-project
- One Energy SELF Protraits contest - please explore the winners here: https://www.energyportraits.org/energy-self-portraits-winners
- One book "Energy Portraits" published by Electa - please explore the publication here: https://www.energyportraits.org/
- Attended many photo exhibitions including Cortona on the Move, SDG7 Pavillion at COP26 in Glasgow,
For further information about the Energy Portraits project go to: https://www.energyportraits.org/