University of Central Asia's video: Public Lecture: Energy Poverty in Central and South Asia

Energy Poverty in Central and South Asia Jakub Polansky et al. Doctoral Researcher in International Development at the University of Sussex in Brighton, United Kingdom. Abstract In developing countries, rural communities continue to rely on solid biomass such as wood, straw, and animal dung to meet their energy needs. Removing crop residues and animal dung from fields to burn for heating and cooking leads to soil degradation and lower agricultural productivity. Air pollution from burning biomass indoors adversely affects human health, especially for women and children. Building upon the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI), we have developed a revised index using the Demographic and Health Survey datasets for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, as well as the Life in Kyrgyzstan (LiK) dataset for Kyrgyzstan, to explore people’s access to energy sources and factors that could be associated with such access. Many variables exert important influence on household energy choice, such as income, fuel price, reliability of energy supply, habituation, age, gender, education, occupation, and culture expressed in terms of taste preferences and cooking habits. Understanding the factors that affect household decisions is important because it can inform ways of improving access to energy by encouraging the factors that have a positive influence, and hindering the ones that have a negative influence. About the Author Jakub Polansky is a Doctoral Researcher in International Development at the University of Sussex. His research focuses on the social-economics of cross-border markets along the Afghan-Tajik border in the Pamir mountainlands. Beyond his doctoral research, Jakub also works on a wide range of projects, including studies on energy poverty, religion and democracy, as well as female labor markets. Moderator Vasila Sulaymonova Post-Doctoral Fellow, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Khorog Campus Ideas presented in this lecture reflect the personal opinion of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Central Asia and/or its employees.