The Missing Piece of the Clean Energy Transition | Sheila Ngozi Oparaocha | TED

Today, I'm honored to introduce you to Randa.

Randa is a remarkable woman

that I have had the privilege of getting to know.

Randa is from Tambacounda, which is a rural town in Senegal.

Like me, Randa is a mother and has also been raised on a farm.

Unlike me, and I suspect unlike all of you,

Randa does not take her energy supply for granted.

When Randa comes home after a hard day's work,

she does not have the luxury of flipping a switch

to turn the lights on in her house.

The stove that Randa uses to cook meals for her family

has not been seamlessly integrated into the design of her kitchen.

Instead, Randa spends up to 10 hours every week

collecting firewood

just to meet the basic needs of her family.

When Randa and I were sharing stories about our children,

I was disheartened to hear from her

that the clinic at which she delivered her four daughters and her two sons

had no electricity.

And the midwife that attended to her

had to use a kerosene lamp during her deliveries.

Now, sadly, Randa's story is not unique.

Randa's story mirrors the struggles

of 2.4 billion people worldwide

that are deprived of access to electricity and to clean cooking fuels.

This is what we refer to as "energy poverty."

Energy poverty results in the deaths of 3.2 million people

every single year

due to diseases caused by exposure to indoor air pollution

that disproportionately impacts women and children.

Now what is also tragic

is that after my 23 years of engagement

in intergovernmental processes at the United Nations,

I continue to battle with the fact that when we are not in the room,

the harsh realities of women's energy poverty

are simply not prioritized to the extent that they should be

in the global political dialogue

on sustainable development and on climate change.

The mainstream narrative

envisions a transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050,

largely driven by the deployment of large-scale renewable energy.

This assumes that people already have access to energy

and simply need to shift to cleaner and more sustainable alternatives.

What it fails to acknowledge

is that one in every three individuals on our planet

do not have access to any form of modern energy.

So the key challenge that we have

and the key question

is why is it that we fail to prioritize women's energy poverty

in developing countries

and fail to recognize it for the global crisis that it is?

This is a question and this is an issue that I have been grappling with

for a long time.

And I've come to the realization

that one of the key reasons

is that the energy sector is male-dominated

and marginally representative of diverse and inclusive perspectives.

Now why do I say this?

Research from the International Energy Agency shows us

that women account for only 15 percent,

only 15 percent of the workforce in the energy sector.

And when it comes to leadership positions,

women such as myself,

that is, women of color, are few and far between.

We also know that gender-blind energy policies

also contribute to the failure

of the prevailing narrative to recognize that it's women like Randa,

that are the cornerstones and the agents of change

to abolishing energy poverty.

But here's the good news.

A revolution is already underway.

And this is a revolution that is being spearheaded

by women grassroots organizations.

These are women grassroots organizations that are being disruptive

and are stepping up to lead the way

from the current crisis

to a sustainable energy future that is more possible

and even closer than many of us realize.

These women grassroots organizations embrace an approach that is referred to

as leaving no one behind.

That prioritizes universal access to reliable, affordable,

sustainable energy as essential for livelihoods,

for adaptation to climate change, and for building resilience.

Now what does this mean in practice?

These initiatives are empowering women smallholder farmers, like Randa,

with decentralized renewable energy technologies.

These are technologies such as solar water pumps,

mini grids,

clean cooking technologies

that are equipping millions of women

that, by the way, produce 80 percent of the food in developing countries,

with clean energy to irrigate their crops,

to process their farm produce,

to power agriculture equipment,

while at the same time enabling them to adapt to climate change crises

such as water shortages,

and also reduce their reliance on expensive diesel generators.

Now I'm immensely proud to say

and to share with you

that only in less than 10 years

an example of three women-led organizations

that is ENERGIA, my organization, Solar Sister, Frontier Markets

have supported a cohort of 42,000 women entrepreneurs

that are operating in underserved markets

where commercial distribution networks are inadequate.

These women entrepreneurs have already fueled their local economies

in their communities

by providing renewable energy services to over 21 million consumers.

(Applause)

Now this is testament to the real-time impact

and the tangible results that are achievable

when women organizations take the lead.

For us at ENERGIA, addressing this crisis and this challenge

goes beyond providing energy services.

A game changer for us has been convening the grassroots women

that we collaborate with into associations.

One rural woman standing alone

has limited opportunity to change policies.

But forming a group of 200 women

who, by the way, are voters,

leverages their collective agency to engage in the formal economy

but also to be present in energy decision-making spaces

that were previously closed to them.

Together, this group of women can articulate their own issues.

They can articulate their own demands,

they can advocate for themselves,

and they can even influence the political landscape,

fostering national policies and regulations

that champion gender equality.

Now in order to scale up these transformative impacts,

new pathways of financial support that direct intentional investments,

intentional investments, to grassroots women's organizations

are absolutely necessary.

It is a scandal that currently,

only six percent of climate finance for energy

goes to address energy poverty.

I'm going to pause there and let that sink in.

Only six percent of climate finance

goes to address this global crisis of energy poverty.

And a mere nine percent

of climate sector development finance is tagged for gender equality.

Is this really the best that we can do to engage women in the energy sector?

My response is a clear no.

Now, I'd like to ask you to join me and imagine with me

a transformative energy transition

that measures success not only by the supply of energy units,

but rather by the significant strides that we make on gender equality

and social justice.

The energy future that we should all be moving towards

is one that calls us to be collectively responsible for ending energy poverty.

It is about providing women from developing countries

with the opportunities to claim their power as leaders,

as drivers of a just and inclusive energy transition.

For me, the call to action is clear.

Let us all be the architects of change,

shaping a future

where no one is left in the dark,

and where women are at the forefront of a brighter, more sustainable world.

Thank you.

(Applause)