Thoughtful, sensitive, considerate people are rightly concerned about the multiple hardships that the poor in the world are subjected to. Is there something reasonable that can be done to alleviate their pain and dire straits? The good news is YES.
The simplest, most effective change that we can offer these disadvantaged people, is to quickly make available to their communities: low-cost (the lower the better), reliable energy, 24/7.
Giving citizens in third-world countries low-cost, reliable, 24/7 energy can result in:
1 – Substantial increase in quality and quantity of available water,
2 – Substantial increase in quality and quantity of sewage treatment,
3 – Substantial increase in crop choices, as well as farming productivity,
4 – Substantial increase in health care options and quality,
5 – Substantial increase in education quality and opportunities,
6 – Substantial increase in business opportunities,
7 – Substantial increase in employment prospects,
8 – Substantial increase in ability to conveniently travel further,
9 – Substantial increase in available consumer purchases,
10-Substantial increase in the quality of a domicile,
11-Substantial increase in home cooking quality and safety,
12-Substantial increase in availability of home food refrigeration,
13-Substantial increase in availability of home heating and cooling,
14-Substantial increase in availability of home conveniences (washing machine, TV, computer, etc.),
15-Substantial increase in their protection from natural disasters,
16-Substantial increase in personal and home security,
17-Substantial increase in independence, civil rights and freedom,
18-Substantial increase in quality of life.
With this understanding it is easy to see why Energy is called the Master Resource. More availability of low-cost, reliable energy 24/7 makes almost every facet of life better. This one step addresses almost everything on the bottom two levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as it significantly reduces the number of people mired in poverty.
Some sample citations:
Study: How Environmentalism Destroys the Hope for the Poorest
Fossil Fuels Protect the World’s Poor Against Natural Disasters
Conventional Energy Sources Are Necessary for Developing Nations’ Poor
The Poor Need Affordable Energy
Lomborg: How green policies hurt the poor
Reviving the Heart of the Earth: Energy Liberation in Africa
Report: Climate Science, Energy Policy, Poverty, and Christian Faith: How do they Connect?
Report: The Cost of Good Intentions: The Ethics and Economics of the War on Conventional Energy
Report: A Renewed Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor
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