North Korea’s chronic energy crisis is threatening the quality of life of its citizens, especially those living in rural areas, by restricting the quality of and access to essential energy-powered resources. Prioritizing the development of off-grid renewable energy in North Korea, such as solar panels and wind turbines, near under-electrified rural areas will provide a more significant number of North Koreans with access to energy.

About North Korea’s Energy Challenges

North Korea’s energy sector requires a lot of attention. North Korea struggles to meet energy demands as domestic energy production and consumption have been generally declining for years. As of 2020, 48% of the North Korean population did not have access to electricity, and in 2016, only 10.8% had access to clean fuel for cooking. The elites in the capital city Pyongyang consume the majority of energy resources, forcing rural populations to go without.

North Korea relied heavily on the Soviet Union for subsidized oil, and the country’s energy production and consumption rates dipped following the Soviet Union’s dissolution. The absence of these energy subsidies, aging infrastructure and a poor national grid system caused North Korea’s energy sector and economy to fall behind.

North Korea’s lack of energy poses a threat to human security. The country’s unstable electricity rates cause frequent blackouts, depriving residents of lighting and other services. The lack of energy is a threat to public health since hospitals and clinics are dependent on electricity access. Access to clean fuel is necessary for sanitation practices and safe cooking habits. Furthermore, North Korea’s energy shortages threaten its agricultural sector and lower its food supply. Electricity and fuel are necessary to produce fertilizer, power irrigation systems, manufacture machinery and transport crops. Thus, improving its energy supply and providing greater access can significantly benefit the well-being of the average North Korean citizen.

North Korea is focusing on initiating renewable energy sources to address its energy crisis. Research has found that renewable energy consumption positively correlates with energy poverty reduction, which is where people lack access to energy sources.

How Renewable Sources Can Alleviate Energy Poverty

Under Kim Jong Un, investing in renewable energy in North Korea has become a priority. The percentage of total energy consumption from renewable energy increased from around 7% in 1992 to close to 25% in 2015. In addition, North Korea adopted various policy measures such as the Renewable Energy Law in 2013.

As North Korea continues to invest in renewable energy sources, increasing access to energy in rural communities should be of special concern. The majority of North Korea’s population lives in rural areas, which are regions with scarce access to electricity and other energy supplies. A survey that occurred in 2014 found that rural households significantly lacked electricity compared to urban households.

Furthermore, North Korea’s focus on hydroelectric power as a main renewable energy source is not ideal for mitigating energy poverty in rural North Korea. Hydroelectric plants do little to power rural areas; the North Korean government controls the available energy from hydropower and it prioritizes electrifying large military facilities over rural residential communities.

Solar Power and Wind Turbines

Small-scale renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines are ideal for powering rural residential areas, thus providing more people in North Korea with access to energy. Solar panels and wind turbines are off-grid energy sources, meaning that their generated energy will be able to power nearby rural communities rather than large military and industrial sites.

This will be especially helpful to improve the living standards of North Korea’s rural residents. Additionally, off-grid energy systems are economically favorable, making them ideal investments in the midst of North Korea’s economic lull.

The importation and use of solar panels in North Korea have significantly increased, especially following the 2012 Pyongyang International Trade Fair. In 2015, North Korea began building small scale wind turbines that generate between 100 and 300 watts of power.

Reports claim that the North Korean government is encouraging production plants to erect and make use of wind turbines.

– Ashley Kim
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

With billions of fans worldwide, football is quite unmatched when it comes to global influence and popularity. This is why the United Nations is partnering with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), one of the largest and most influential governing bodies in world football, to launch Football for the Goals. Through this initiative, the two organizations will work to use the massive popularity and influence of football in order to work towards the U.N.’s Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs). Here are some key facts about this unique partnership as well as the goals it will work to accomplish and bring awareness to.

What are the Sustainable Developmental Goals?

Adopted in September of 2015, the U.N.’s Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) are a broad group of 17 goals that the organization hopes to achieve by 2030. As described by the U.N., “The [SDGs] are a call for action by all countries… to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities…”

• Eliminating poverty “in all its forms everywhere” by providing disaster relief, social protections, access to basic services, etc.
• Addressing world hunger by providing humanitarian relief and taking steps to ensure access to “safe, nutritious and sufficient food” year-round.
• Promoting general health and well-being through goals such as researching and developing vaccines and medicines as well as strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse.
• Ensuring quality education through actions such as building and upgrading educational facilities, creating scholarships, teacher training, etc.

The Partnership

In a joint statement on July 6, 2022, UEFA and the U.N. announced Football for the Goals. The initiative will primarily see UEFA strive to use its partnerships with various footballing confederations, leagues, clubs, players, fans, media and commercial partners in order to work towards achieving these goals the U.N. outlined in its SDGs, according to UEFA.

In addition to bringing awareness to these goals, however, UEFA also hopes to influence other organizations to use its own platforms by “[demonstrating] how sustainable practices can be mainstreamed through any business model, including sport.”

Speaking on the announcement of this unique partnership, Deputy Secretary–General of the U.N., Amina J. Mohammed, commented, “The [U.N.] recognizes the powerful voice football carries in the global community and the role football can play in raising awareness for the SDGs through the popularity of the game. Not only is football the most popular sport in the world, but it is also the most accessible… Football for the Goals offers a unique opportunity to raise awareness and galvanize the world into action on the SDGs,” UEFA reports.

The Potential

With recent UEFA competitions reaching billions of viewers worldwide, such as the most recent UEFA European Football Championship, the reach and appeal of football is no doubt an ingenious vessel for raising awareness and calling for action.

Whether it’s through an on-field advert or a TV spot, Football for the Goals and the very SDGs it represents have the potential to fall into the view of billions of people worldwide. Using this global reach and influence of football, the U.N. and UEFA can begin shining an even greater light on the work that might enable a more secure and prosperous future for millions worldwide.

– Riley Wooldridge
Photo: Flickr

Kibera is an informal settlement, or slum, in Nairobi, Kenya — the largest slum on the African continent. Rampant poverty in the Kibera slum is the source of numerous grievances and foundational inadequacies. Factors such as gender discrimination, crime, widespread unemployment and inaccessible electricity feed the continuation of poor conditions in the Kibera slum.

Slums in developing countries are narrowly defined as areas of “overcrowding, poor and informal housing, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation and insecurity of tenure.” A growing proportion of the population born into overcrowded impoverished conditions curbs movement toward a healthy economic foundation. Increasing inequality and the lack of infrastructure in the Kibera slum foster a poor quality of life.

Factors Exacerbating Poverty in Slums

• Gender discrimination and gender roles in slum society. Women are expected to care and provide for their children more than men. Due to societal expectations, girls are discouraged from attending school. In the “Slum Survivors” documentary produced by Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) in 2007, Carol, a slum-dweller from Kibera, explains her father’s refusal to send her to high school as he believed the education of girls “is a waste of money.” Instead of completing school, many young girls become young mothers or child brides. A lack of education among girls serves to exacerbate cycles of poverty. Discriminatory cultural norms and institutions account for the rising percentage of female-headed households, which Carol explains from an imprisoning rather than an empowering standpoint as female-headed households face higher rates of poverty.
• Criminal activity. Due to high rates of poverty, some resort to the illegal sale of alcohol and wood derived from illegal logging to make a living, among other illegal business activities. Crime is widespread in urban slums, such as Kibera — Crime surveys conducted by the Security Research and Information Centre (SRIC) with support from the Government of Kenya and UNDP Kenya reported that “98.8% of the respondents had witnessed crime being committed in the last three months of the study period.” The study highlights rampant poverty and low incomes in slums as the driving factors behind crimes in Kenya’s major slums. Kenya struggles to keep up with the rapid growth of cities, leading to a lack of housing, infrastructure and opportunities.
• High unemployment rates. Economic instability and a lack of job opportunities encourage crime and contribute to the 50% unemployment rate in the Kibera slum. Due to high rates of poverty and unemployment, many individuals are unable to afford vital medicine or hospital bills. Incentives for quick and easy money encourage waste dumping and illegally cutting trees at night.
• Inadequate electricity access. The Kibera slum relies on unsafe and poor-quality electricity. Electric fires and electrocutions are not uncommon in the slum. A partnership between Kenya Power and Lighting Corporation and the World Bank has led to improved access to safe electricity for slum-dwellers in the last couple of years. However, a number of Kenyans still resort to buying illegal connections from local cartels.

Poverty in Developing Countries Impacts the US

A remote and unattainable outlook prevents action from the international community. Distance between continents widens the rich-poor gap between the United States and low-income countries. Developed countries may view urban poverty in developing nations as out of their reach. Domestic issues almost always take precedence over worldwide injustices, with foreign aid accounting for less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget. Contrary to popular belief, Kibera’s poverty impacts the U.S. — impoverished countries are unable to afford U.S. goods and products. By investing in the development of lower-income countries, the U.S. can expand its markets and further grow the U.S. economy.

USAID’s Initiatives in Kenya

USAID has created numerous programs with tangible courses of action and projects that are currently underway. In 2022, USAID and the Government of Kenya (GOK) signed a five-year agreement to bolster education and employment opportunities for Kenya’s youth. The ultimate goal is “preparing a new generation of young African leaders with the skills and mindset to transform the region and the continent.”

The agreement discusses commitments to improve “education, youth workforce development and youth leadership programming” with a special focus on marginalized girls. USAID says “the GOK has committed to co-finance at least 15% of the total joint investments in education and youth development priorities in Kenya and East Africa.”

This partnership is creating jobs and empowering youth, working to reduce gender-related obstacles and illegal activity. Moreover, USAID’s Small Business Development Center program “strengthens the capacity” of micro, small and medium businesses (MSMEs) in Kenya and establishes “linkages to U.S. counterparts.” USAID’s actions will help some of “Kenya’s 1.5 million formally registered MSMEs and [more than] 5 million informal MSMEs.”

Looking Ahead

Poor conditions in the Kibera slum make it difficult to revitalize the economy and move closer to equality. For instance, low socioeconomic standards and an insufficient justice system elevate vulnerability to crime and marginalization. Even though those living in preferable living conditions outside of slums may feel removed from the problem, everyone’s perception and actions have an impact. Inequitable resource distribution pertains to every socioeconomic group in an unprecedentedly globalized world.

– Anna Zawistowski
Photo: Wikimedia Commons