Energy Justice
•It has been said that the standard of living of any society is directly proportional to the amount of energy available to its citizens to use. The emerging concept of energy justice links the access to and affordability of energy supplies as a key part of social justice, and a key factor in eliminating poverty.
•Since low income families worldwide spend a large portion of their available income on energy, high energy costs amount to the ultimate regressive tax.
•The growing middle classes in developing economies aspire to a higher standard of living and that means more energy usage for basic human needs: lighting, cooking, heating and cooling, and clean water.
•Overall demand for energy is expected to grow 4X over the next 50 years. How will we meet the demand?