Difference between revisions of "Energy Access in Displacement Settings"

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'''In camps in north Darfur people on average “missed three meals a week when they had food but no fuel to cook"&nbsp;<ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>'''
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Most of the food donated to refugees by humanitarian agencies need to be cooked before it can be consumed. However, the fuel needed for cooking is usually not provided. <ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>&nbsp;Therefore, many refugees need to collect firewood from the area around the camp. Depleting the firewood resources in the camp’s surroundings does not only cause environmental problems, such as deforestation and spreading desertification, but also often leads to tensions between refugees and the host communities.
 
Most of the food donated to refugees by humanitarian agencies need to be cooked before it can be consumed. However, the fuel needed for cooking is usually not provided. <ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>&nbsp;Therefore, many refugees need to collect firewood from the area around the camp. Depleting the firewood resources in the camp’s surroundings does not only cause environmental problems, such as deforestation and spreading desertification, but also often leads to tensions between refugees and the host communities.
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The dependency on firewood is also a gender problem. Collecting firewood is a task often performed my woman and girls. Especially in large camps they may have to walk for hours in order to find firewood, leaving them less time for other activities, such as looking after their children, working or supporting the refugee community. Furthermore, women and girls are often subjected to gender based violence during their search for firewood <ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>.
 
The dependency on firewood is also a gender problem. Collecting firewood is a task often performed my woman and girls. Especially in large camps they may have to walk for hours in order to find firewood, leaving them less time for other activities, such as looking after their children, working or supporting the refugee community. Furthermore, women and girls are often subjected to gender based violence during their search for firewood <ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>.
  
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Refugees who are unable to collect firewood have to buy fuel for cooking. This can be very expensive. For example, in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya it was estimated that, on average, families spend 24% of their income&nbsp;on energy.&nbsp;<ref>Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online]  
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Refugees who are unable to collect firewood have to buy fuel for cooking. This can be very expensive. For example, in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya it was estimated that, on average, families spend 24% of their income&nbsp;on energy.&nbsp;<ref>Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].</ref>
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Available at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=intro
 
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[Accessed 16 June 2016].</ref>
 
  
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Cooking with biomass on open fires has severe negative health effects for refugees. The exposure to smoke from open fires is estimated to cause 20,000 premature deaths amongst refugees each year. <ref>Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online]  
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Cooking with biomass on open fires has severe negative health effects for refugees. The exposure to smoke from open fires is estimated to cause 20,000 premature deaths amongst refugees each year. <ref>Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].</ref>&nbsp;A study in Nepal showed that refugees are especially vulnerable to air born respiratory infections caused by smoke. They have a 10-17 higher rate of infection in comparison to people living in non-crisis settings. <ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>&nbsp; Furthermore, the risk of burns or setting fire to tents is also heightened by the use of open fires for cooking.&nbsp;<ref>Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].</ref>
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Available at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=intro
 
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[Accessed 16 June 2016].</ref>&nbsp;A study in Nepal showed that refugees are especially vulnerable to air born respiratory infections caused by smoke. They have a 10-17 higher rate of infection in comparison to people living in non-crisis settings. <ref>Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.</ref>&nbsp; Furthermore, the risk of burns or setting fire to tents is also heightened by the use of open fires for cooking.&nbsp;<ref>Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online]  
 
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[Accessed 16 June 2016].</ref>
 
  
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Access to efficient cookstoves &nbsp;can provide a solution to some of these problems. Since they consume less fuel efficient stoves result in considerable savings for refugees in terms of money and time spent collecting firewood. Efficient stoves also minimize the health risks associated with cooking through improved fuel combustion.&nbsp;<ref>Hellpap, C. et al., 2016. Indoor Air Pollution (IAP). [Online]  
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Access to efficient cookstoves &nbsp;can provide a solution to some of these problems. Since they consume less fuel efficient stoves result in considerable savings for refugees in terms of money and time spent collecting firewood. Efficient stoves also minimize the health risks associated with cooking through improved fuel combustion.&nbsp;<ref>Hellpap, C. et al., 2016. Indoor Air Pollution (IAP). [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://energypedia.info/wiki/Indoor_Air_Pollution_(IAP)fckLR[Accessed 2016 June 2016].</ref>
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Available at: https://energypedia.info/wiki/Indoor_Air_Pollution_(IAP)
 
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[Accessed 2016 June 2016].</ref>
 
  
 
Modified stoves can also be used to cook with alternative fuels, such as ethanol. One&nbsp;example for this are the high performing ethanol cookstoves produced by the Ethiopian charity organization Gaia Association&nbsp;. The stoves are distributed to refugees living in the Jigjiga refugee camps. The ethanol is made from molasses, a by-product of the large sugar industry in the country. <ref>Tsehayu, W. T. & Getaneh, D., 2016. Clean and safe energy for cooking: Ethiopian Jigjiga refugee camps. Boiling Point, Issue 68, pp. 16-19.</ref>&nbsp;By providing them with efficient stoves and ethanol fuel the Gaia Association has freed refugees in the camp from their dependency on firewood, thus improving their quality of life.
 
Modified stoves can also be used to cook with alternative fuels, such as ethanol. One&nbsp;example for this are the high performing ethanol cookstoves produced by the Ethiopian charity organization Gaia Association&nbsp;. The stoves are distributed to refugees living in the Jigjiga refugee camps. The ethanol is made from molasses, a by-product of the large sugar industry in the country. <ref>Tsehayu, W. T. & Getaneh, D., 2016. Clean and safe energy for cooking: Ethiopian Jigjiga refugee camps. Boiling Point, Issue 68, pp. 16-19.</ref>&nbsp;By providing them with efficient stoves and ethanol fuel the Gaia Association has freed refugees in the camp from their dependency on firewood, thus improving their quality of life.

Revision as of 09:16, 20 June 2016

Overview

The number of people forced to leave their country and live as refugees, due to war and persecution, is really high. The total number of refugees in 2013 has even exceeded the total number of refugees after World War II and is continuously rising. [1]In 2014, UNHCR estimated that there are around 59.5 million forecefully displaced people worldwide,[2] around 20 million of which are refugees. It is the highest level of human displacement on record. [3]


This article aims to explore the situation of energy access among refugee camps by consolidating the information from different publications.

We invite you to edit this article and enrich it with your valuable contributions. Please feel free to include a new publication, your personal experience as well as other information in this article.

Introduction

“Without safe and reliable access to energy, it can be impossible to meet the basic needs of life.” [4]

Access to food, water, shelter and medical care are the immediate priorities for people who have been forcefully displaced from their homes, either due to war and conflict or natural disasters. However, having access to energy is another very important factor for refugees and one which has, in the past, not received a lot of attention. [5] Luckily this is starting to change because safe and reliable energy access, or the lack of it, plays a central role in the life of many refugees.

Many refugees find shelter in camps. Refugee camps are seen as temporary establishments, because the hope is that at some point the people living there will be able to return to their homes. Therefore, long term investments, such as connecting the camps to the grid or providing them with expensive energy solutions are often discouraged. However, on average, people spend 17 years in a refugee camp. [6] During this time, they usually have to rely on energy sources, such as biomass or kerosene for cooking and lighting  which are mostly used in an unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient way. [7] Replacing these energy sources or devices with sustainable energy solutions in camps would have numerous advantages for refugees as well as for the host community and the environment.



Energy for Cooking

In camps in north Darfur people on average “missed three meals a week when they had food but no fuel to cook" [8]

Most of the food donated to refugees by humanitarian agencies need to be cooked before it can be consumed. However, the fuel needed for cooking is usually not provided. [9] Therefore, many refugees need to collect firewood from the area around the camp. Depleting the firewood resources in the camp’s surroundings does not only cause environmental problems, such as deforestation and spreading desertification, but also often leads to tensions between refugees and the host communities.

The dependency on firewood is also a gender problem. Collecting firewood is a task often performed my woman and girls. Especially in large camps they may have to walk for hours in order to find firewood, leaving them less time for other activities, such as looking after their children, working or supporting the refugee community. Furthermore, women and girls are often subjected to gender based violence during their search for firewood [10].

Refugees who are unable to collect firewood have to buy fuel for cooking. This can be very expensive. For example, in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya it was estimated that, on average, families spend 24% of their income on energy. [11]

Cooking with biomass on open fires has severe negative health effects for refugees. The exposure to smoke from open fires is estimated to cause 20,000 premature deaths amongst refugees each year. [12] A study in Nepal showed that refugees are especially vulnerable to air born respiratory infections caused by smoke. They have a 10-17 higher rate of infection in comparison to people living in non-crisis settings. [13]  Furthermore, the risk of burns or setting fire to tents is also heightened by the use of open fires for cooking. [14]

Access to efficient cookstoves  can provide a solution to some of these problems. Since they consume less fuel efficient stoves result in considerable savings for refugees in terms of money and time spent collecting firewood. Efficient stoves also minimize the health risks associated with cooking through improved fuel combustion. [15]

Modified stoves can also be used to cook with alternative fuels, such as ethanol. One example for this are the high performing ethanol cookstoves produced by the Ethiopian charity organization Gaia Association . The stoves are distributed to refugees living in the Jigjiga refugee camps. The ethanol is made from molasses, a by-product of the large sugar industry in the country. [16] By providing them with efficient stoves and ethanol fuel the Gaia Association has freed refugees in the camp from their dependency on firewood, thus improving their quality of life.



Energy for Light

Lack of lighting is another major problem in many refugee camps. After sunset camps are often completely dark. This means that many activities can only be completed during the day. For example, children cannot do their homework in the evenings reducing their chances of completing their education. Not having lights in a refugee camp also creates safety and gender based violence issues. Many people, especially woman and children, do not feel safe walking around the camp after nightfall. [17]

Also, having light (as well as other electrical powered devices such as fridges) is especially important in medical stations . Currently many medical stations in refugee camps are powered by diesel generators, resulting in high fuel costs and environmental pollution. [18]

Connecting refugee camps to the national grid in order to provide them with lighting is often not a viable solution. This is due to their classification as temporary structures and also because refugee camps are often based in very remote locations and therefore a grid connection would be extremely expensive. Furthermore, many refugee camps are located in countries where even the local population often does not have access to electricity.

However, solar power can be a very good option for bringing lighting into refugee camps, in the form of solar street lights or pico-PV systems such as solar lanterns. While these technologies do often have a higher upfront cost they provide long terms savings. The fuel savings for a refugee family which owns a solar light can be significant. [19]

Many solar lanterns also have a UBS ports, allowing refugees to charge their mobile phones. Mobile phones are often the only way for refugees to communicate with family and friends who live outside of the camp.

GIZ EnDev Nepal Boy with Light-reduced02.jpg



Financial Implications

According to an assessment by the Women's Refugee Comission (WRC) in 2005, in humanitarian setting, refugees are provided with food, shelter but rarely with cooking energy. Energy access for refugees is a basic humanitarian need but has been mostly ignored/undermined. Additionally, a global total of US$2.1 billion is spend per year for energy access among displaced people. The majority of this cost is borne by the refugees themselves.[20]


Environmental Degradation

80% of the 8.7 million refugees and displaced persons in camps worldwide, rely on traditional biomass for cooking and have no access to electricity.  They rely mostly on forest nearby the camps for firewood. As a result, 64,700 hectares of forest are cleared and burned every year in areas near refugees camps. [20]

Similarly, burning traditional biomass for cooking is one of the major cause of indoor air pollution. The WHO estimates that around 20,000 forcibly displaced people die prematurely each year from diseases caused by indoor air pollution.[21]


Gender based violence (GBV)

In most of the refugees camps, women and children are mainly responsible for collecting firewood and in many cases, they travel up to 20 km into unsafe areas to collect firewood. This could lead to cases of sexual assault and robbery among women and children while collecting firewood. In most cases, the women and children, do not report the sexual assault as they are afraid of social stigma as well as further persecution by the police and the local security authority. [21]


Implementing Solutions/Coordinating Efforts


Providing refugees with sustainable energy solutions, such of efficient stoves, alternative fuels and solar lighting, could have potential huge positive impacts on their lives as well as on the environment and the host communities. Furthermore, sustainable energy solutions could reault in huge potential savings for humaniterian agencies. Introducing improved cookstoves and basic solar lanterns could save US$323 million a year in fuel costs in return for a one-time capital investment of US$ 335 million for the equipment. It would also save around 6.85 million tCO2 per year.[20]

However, humanitarian efforts and business approaches to this topic need to be coordinated. Especially in developing economies there is a risk of disrupting emerging private sector energy markets through the free distributions of products. [22] Therefore, humanitarian aid should always be carefully planned and, wherever possible, local establishment should be integrated so that the host community can benefit.

Another important point to consider is that energy solutions need to be appropriate for the target community. They should be adapted to take into account factors such as cooking habits and social structures amongst the refugees in a camp. [23]

Currently there is still not enough funding in place for sustainable energy solutions in crisis settings. Energy needs to become more of a priority in humanitarian aid projects, especially considering the huge impacts that unsafe and insufficient energy access can have on the lives of refugees. Another problem is the lack of data available on this topic. Energy projects need to be better documented. This will allow new projects to build upon previous experience, enabling better and more efficient solution to be developed in the future. [24]



Publications

Publications dealing with the issue of energy access for refugees :


To add further publications, simply edit this section.


Further Information

Cooking Energy in Refugee Situations - article on energypedia


References

  1. ↑ Global refugee figures highest since WW2, UN says. (2014, June 20). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-27921938
  2. ↑ Worldwide displacement hits all-time high as war and persecution increase. (2015). Retrieved December 5, 2015, from http://www.unhcr.org/558193896.html
  3. ↑ UNHCR, 2016. Figures at a Glance. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: http://www.unhcr.org/uk/figures-at-a-glance.htmlfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].
  4. ↑ Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] Available at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=intro [Accessed 16 June 2016].
  5. ↑ Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].
  6. ↑ Pyper, J., 2015. Solar Power to Light Up Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan. [Online] Available at: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-power-to-light-up-syrian-refugee-camps-in-jordan [Accessed 16 June 2016].
  7. ↑ GVEP International, n.d. The Moving Energy Initiative: Sustainable Energy for Refugees and Displaced People. [Online] Available at: http://www.gvepinternational.org/en/business/moving-energy-initiative-sustainable-energy-refugees-and-displaced-people [Accessed 15 June 2016].
  8. ↑ Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.
  9. ↑ Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.
  10. ↑ Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.
  11. ↑ Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].
  12. ↑ Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].
  13. ↑ Arnold, K. et al., 2016. Energy in Emergancy Settings. Boiling Point, Issue 68, p. 1.
  14. ↑ Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=introfckLR[Accessed 16 June 2016].
  15. ↑ Hellpap, C. et al., 2016. Indoor Air Pollution (IAP). [Online] fckLRAvailable at: https://energypedia.info/wiki/Indoor_Air_Pollution_(IAP)fckLR[Accessed 2016 June 2016].
  16. ↑ Tsehayu, W. T. & Getaneh, D., 2016. Clean and safe energy for cooking: Ethiopian Jigjiga refugee camps. Boiling Point, Issue 68, pp. 16-19.
  17. ↑ Bleadale, M., 2012. Light Years Ahead, Geneva: UNHCR.
  18. ↑ Lahn, G. & Grafham, O., 2015. Heat, Light and Power for Refugees, Saving Lives, Reducing Costs, London: Chatham House.
  19. ↑ Kleiman, S., 2016. "With Light there is more life": Energy qaccess for safety, health and well being in emergencies. Boiling Pont, Issue 68, pp. 2-5.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Lahn, G., & Grafham, O. (2015). Heat, Light and Power for Refugees Saving Lives, Reducing Costs. Chatham House Report for the Moving Energy Initiative. http://bit.ly/1l6cCEk Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Lahn, G., & Grafham, O. (2015). Heat, Light and Power for Refugees Saving Lives, Reducing Costs. Chatham House Report for the Moving Energy Initiative. http://bit.ly/1l6cCEk" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Lahn, G., & Grafham, O. (2015). Heat, Light and Power for Refugees Saving Lives, Reducing Costs. Chatham House Report for the Moving Energy Initiative. http://bit.ly/1l6cCEk" defined multiple times with different content
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) in Nyarugusu, Tanzania: A Rapid Assessment Report. (2014).
  22. ↑ Kleiman, S., 2016. "With Light there is more life": Energy qaccess for safety, health and well being in emergencies. Boiling Pont, Issue 68, pp. 2-5.
  23. ↑ GVEP International, n.d. The Moving Energy Initiative: Sustainable Energy for Refugees and Displaced People. [Online] Available at: http://www.gvepinternational.org/en/business/moving-energy-initiative-sustainable-energy-refugees-and-displaced-people [Accessed 15 June 2016].
  24. ↑ Chatham House, n.d. Moving Energy Initiative. [Online] Available at: https://mei.chathamhouse.org/?section=intro [Accessed 16 June 2016].
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