Energy is crucial at the industrial and domestic levels. Access to affordable energy must be a priority on the governmental agenda, specifically at times of environmental crisis and economic uncertainty. Lack of access to affordable energy pushes citizens towards energy poverty. The significance of this topic was highlighted when United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed it in SDG 7. As energy is crucial for economic development and well-being, the UN calls for urgent energy action to address energy poverty and energy access to advance the SDGs. Health care, education, access to essential commodities, services, and information, as well as opportunities for work and creative activities, all require affordable and reliable energy services. Thus, SDG7 is strongly interlinked to SDG1, which is focused on poverty eradication. According to the UN, the pandemic is also obstructing the progress towards SDG 7 and SDG 1. Extreme poverty and energy poverty are disproportionately associated with hindered development in regions and populations, and the two are inextricably intertwined. It is recognized that energy poverty is widespread throughout the world, but it is especially prominent in developing countries, with limited research being available in this respect. In order to accurately measure and assess energy poverty, it becomes necessary to distinguish between low energy supply and home service shortages. The current target SDG7.1 indicators, 7.1.1 (Proportion of population with access to electricity) and 7.1.2 (Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology) are clearly not enough, contributing to an underestimation of the difficulties of ending energy poverty. The numerous dimensions of poverty, including energy poverty, need to be further addressed in order to create resilience and improve well-being. Within energy poverty, the issues involve energy policy, efficiency, security, transition, and action.The linkages to be addressed involve both environmental and social dimensions that need to be assessed. The approach to be pursued will demand a variety of methodologies contributing to the analysis of this global, yet so specific, topic. The solutions must consider broader sustainability challenges at the global level, comprising environmental, economic, and sociodimensional resilience, improving policy coherence to increase the focus of energy access policy. Policymakers, stakeholders, and civil society all need to make a worldwide commitment to improve social cohesion by adopting common goals.This Research Topic aims to explore contributions to energy poverty and interconnections with climate policy, pandemics, sustainable patterns, and socioeconomic inequality in the broader context of sustainability concerns. Contributions from a variety of views, both theoretical and practical, are encouraged. The goal is to help advance sustainable development by offering relevant perspectives and studies that will able to be replicated in other countries and circumstances, advancing knowledge in this topical area.The authors are encouraged to address submissions covering the following topics:• Energy poverty in the COVID-19 pandemic area;• Environmental and economic policies and sustainability dimension;• Enabling technology in poverty alleviation;• Methods of measuring energy poverty;• Addressing the many facets of poverty and energy poverty;• The Income-to-Energy Poverty Nexus;• Sustainable Development Challenges in energy poverty;• Challenges and barriers affecting the energy access;• Regional inequality in energy burden;• The role of international partnerships in SDG implementation in fighting energy poverty;• Green finance's role in reducing energy poverty;This Research Topic aims to interdisciplinary address the crucial factors contributing to energy poverty worldwide, affecting global sustainable development.
Energy is crucial at the industrial and domestic levels. Access to affordable energy must be a priority on the governmental agenda, specifically at times of environmental crisis and economic uncertainty. Lack of access to affordable energy pushes citizens towards energy poverty. The significance of this topic was highlighted when United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed it in SDG 7. As energy is crucial for economic development and well-being, the UN calls for urgent energy action to address energy poverty and energy access to advance the SDGs. Health care, education, access to essential commodities, services, and information, as well as opportunities for work and creative activities, all require affordable and reliable energy services. Thus, SDG7 is strongly interlinked to SDG1, which is focused on poverty eradication. According to the UN, the pandemic is also obstructing the progress towards SDG 7 and SDG 1. Extreme poverty and energy poverty are disproportionately associated with hindered development in regions and populations, and the two are inextricably intertwined. It is recognized that energy poverty is widespread throughout the world, but it is especially prominent in developing countries, with limited research being available in this respect. In order to accurately measure and assess energy poverty, it becomes necessary to distinguish between low energy supply and home service shortages. The current target SDG7.1 indicators, 7.1.1 (Proportion of population with access to electricity) and 7.1.2 (Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology) are clearly not enough, contributing to an underestimation of the difficulties of ending energy poverty. The numerous dimensions of poverty, including energy poverty, need to be further addressed in order to create resilience and improve well-being. Within energy poverty, the issues involve energy policy, efficiency, security, transition, and action.The linkages to be addressed involve both environmental and social dimensions that need to be assessed. The approach to be pursued will demand a variety of methodologies contributing to the analysis of this global, yet so specific, topic. The solutions must consider broader sustainability challenges at the global level, comprising environmental, economic, and sociodimensional resilience, improving policy coherence to increase the focus of energy access policy. Policymakers, stakeholders, and civil society all need to make a worldwide commitment to improve social cohesion by adopting common goals.This Research Topic aims to explore contributions to energy poverty and interconnections with climate policy, pandemics, sustainable patterns, and socioeconomic inequality in the broader context of sustainability concerns. Contributions from a variety of views, both theoretical and practical, are encouraged. The goal is to help advance sustainable development by offering relevant perspectives and studies that will able to be replicated in other countries and circumstances, advancing knowledge in this topical area.The authors are encouraged to address submissions covering the following topics:• Energy poverty in the COVID-19 pandemic area;• Environmental and economic policies and sustainability dimension;• Enabling technology in poverty alleviation;• Methods of measuring energy poverty;• Addressing the many facets of poverty and energy poverty;• The Income-to-Energy Poverty Nexus;• Sustainable Development Challenges in energy poverty;• Challenges and barriers affecting the energy access;• Regional inequality in energy burden;• The role of international partnerships in SDG implementation in fighting energy poverty;• Green finance's role in reducing energy poverty;This Research Topic aims to interdisciplinary address the crucial factors contributing to energy poverty worldwide, affecting global sustainable development.