Globally, at least 34 million people in 2017 gained access to off-grid electricity services, the report noted.
Furthermore, efforts to cut pollution from cooking food and promote renewable power for heat and transportation are likewise far behind the goals that world nations set in 2015, according to the report produced by the World Bank and other international bodies. "I am particularly concerned by the dramatic lack of access to reliable, modern and sustainable energy in certain parts of the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, a region where we need to really concentrate our efforts," Birol said in a statement.In 2015, all United Nations member states adopted 17 goals for sustainable development by 2030 in areas such as education, climate, and gender equality as well as access to energy.
Furthermore, about three billion people, mainly in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, had no access to clean cooking in 2017, resulting in serious health problems – a figure that had barely budged over the prior seven years.Meanwhile, the share of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power in the overall mix hit 17.5 percent in 2016, a sluggish increase from the 16.6 percent recorded in 2010.