Energy poverty: conceptualization and its link to exclusion. Brief review for Latin America

Abstract

Energy is a critical input for any socioeconomic system and it has become a central point in sustainable development worldwide. Energy deprivation in its various degrees has given rise to the term Energy Poverty. The deprivations in access and quality of energy services sustained over time are elements that generate social exclusion processes and limit the development of the countries with these characteristics. The aim of this paper is to deepen the conceptual discussion of energy poverty and exclusion and the background regarding its measurement, as well as its link with the Just Energy Transition. Descriptive statistics are explored to assess the situation in the Latin American region. It is concluded that the limitations in access to basic energy services are significant, affecting more severely the population of countries with a low level of output and less socioeconomically favored.

Social Inequalities in Mental Health and Self-Perceived Health in the First Wave of COVID-19 Lockdown in Latin America and Spain: Results of an Online Observational Study

“…On the other hand, the size of the dwelling played an essential role, since it was shown that being confined to larger spaces favors SPH [ 14 ]. Another aspect not considered in these types of restrictions are the potential effects due to the energy poverty existing in the region [ 51 ], the obligation to stay in a place without good conditions (in the southern cone, autumn began on that date), and the potential effects on people’s health [ 52 , 53 ]. This suggests that homogeneous pandemic containment strategies fracture society and deepen existing vulnerabilities [ 43 ].…”

Students' perception of energy poverty—A comparative analysis between local and exchange university students from Montevideo, Lisbon, and Padua

“…In relation to EP, in 2021, Portugal is listed as the fifth country, and Italy is the eighth country in the EU where people can least afford to keep their homes adequately heated, with around 16.4% of Portuguese people and 8.1% of Italian people (EPAH, 2022) experiencing this winter dimension of EP. On the contrary, Uruguay seems to have better EP indicators than other Latin American countries, as in Uruguayan homes, the biggest proportion of households' budgets is used for energy compared to the homes of other countries (Margulis, 2017;Guzowski et al, 2021). Pereira et al (2021) provide a standardized and crosscountry comparable analysis of multidimensional EP in four South American countries, including Uruguay, between 2000 and 2016.…”

Sustainable energy policies from a complexity perspective

“…The fight against poverty (Guzowski et al, 2021 ), social transformations and economic development (Ordeñana et al, 2022 ; Vardar et al, 2022 ), the needs of modern society for a quality energy supply (Mercado-Bautista et al, 2022 ; Wahlund and Palm, 2022 ; Wierzbicka, 2022 ) and guarantee the security of the state (Gaspar, 2022 ; Steffen and Patt, 2022 ) and, finally, move toward low-carbon generation sources (Lawrence et al, 2022 ), among other reasons, to frame what today is considered as energy policies sustainable (Nilsson, 2005 ).…”