Access to Energy for the Base of the Pyramid

[lvvilla74]

I'd be willing to bet that the "3 billion people" in the world who are "accelerating deforestation" by still using traditional biomass for cooking are not the main culprits behind the 12 to 15 MILLION hectares of tropical forests that are cut down each year worldwide. Let's look in the mirror, folks.

[lvvilla74]

More importantly, what are we doing at the opposite extreme of the energy spectrum? Despite all the rhetoric on climate change and other environmental challenges, I don't think those of us in the "developed" world can say, with a straight face, that we are doing our part to reduce our impact on the natural world.

[lvvilla74]

I applaud these efforts to level the playing field somewhat insofar as access to energy worldwide. I suspect, however, that our global ecological footprint will only get bigger if we connect more and more people to the power grid; even if the energy source itself is sustainable, the repercussions of so many more people having access to it, may not necessarily be sustainable.

[dancolombia]

Congratulations!