According to the UN, around 1.5 million people in the world are short in electricity. Energy poverty in many regions is a major obstacle to reducing the starvation. However, approximately 2 million people worldwide suffer a shortage of clean drinking water. A scarcity of this resource or its poor quality negatively works upon food security. Moreover, significant amounts of water are needed for almost all energy generation processes. Along with that, water economy needs electricity in order to receive, purify and transmit water. Thus, the issues of food, water availability, and energy supply are inextricably linked to each other, and their ties must be sustainable and safe to guarantee the stable development of mankind.
The climate crisis only aggravates the uncertainty related to food, energy and water supply, mentioned one of the session’s speakers, Rae Kwon Chung, Chairman of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee, Member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
“We are stuck in a vicious circle. Agriculture and land use is responsible for around one third of global greenhouse gas emission. On the other hand, extreme weather conditions such as heatwave, floods, drought are undermining the basic water supply of one fourth of the world’s population. By 2050, the world’s population will reach 10 billion people, which will become another crucial factor. At present, energy production systems, as well as food and water supply should be reviewed. And at the same time, this transformation should be accompanied by a fight against climate change,” the expert stressed.
Note that the participation of Rae Kwon Chung in the session “Energy, water, food: An ecosystem on the cusp” will take place within the Global Energy Association on development of international research and projects in the field of energy official program at the 24th World Energy Congress. In addition to the presentation of the Global Energy Association’s experts in the business program, the Association organizes its own session “Mission possible: the Global Energy Prize as a driver for sustainable energy for all”, as well as presents a bright and dynamic stand.