Sustainable Development Goal 7: To ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Today, I shall use electricity to listen to my radio, boil water in a kettle, cook my meals, store food in the fridge and freezer, use my phone and my laptop computer and connect with others on the internet.
789 million people, predominately in sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to electricity, and hundreds of millions more have only limited or unreliable electricity available. Without electricity, women and girls have to spend hours fetching water, school-children cannot do their homework after dark, clinics cannot store vaccines safely, and businesses cannot function competitively.
The United Nations website reports that:
‘The world is making progress towards Goal 7, with encouraging signs that energy is becoming more sustainable and widely available.
Nevertheless, more focused attention is needed to improve access to clean and safe cooking fuels and technologies for 3 billion people, to expand the use of renewable energy beyond the electricity sector, and to increase electrification in sub-Saharan Africa.
Energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.’
Read
Psalm 29, a song of praise to our God who is powerful, whose voice thunders, flashes with flames of fire, shakes the wilderness and causes the oaks to whirl. (verse 9)
Pray
We thank God
- For the ability to produce clean energy from the sun, wind, water and wave.
- For creative ways of producing energy that do not add to our carbon footprint.
- For those countries that are developing sustainable energy production.
We ask God
- To forgive our wastefulness and disregard for the health of the planet.
- That more countries will invest in renewable energy resources.
- That the world will move towards a more affordable, clean energy system.
- That every woman and child will have access to affordable clean energy.
Respond
Reduce wasteful consumption of energy by switching off appliances when not in use.
Reduce your carbon emissions by walking, cycling or using public transport.
Reduce your use of fossil fuels which increase greenhouse gases that damage the environment.
Support initiatives that encourage clean, affordable energy production.
To find out more about Goal 7 and other Sustainable Development Goals visit: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
The World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women supports the Sustainable Development Goals.
Translate