Literature review on energy access and adaptation to climate change
This review examines the challenges and opportunities for fostering a greater integration between energy access and climate change adaptation
Abstract
Despite the understanding and the clear overarching benefits of access to energy in addressing the various dimensions of development and poverty reduction, to date there has been little discussion on energy access within the context of adaptation and building resilience to climate change and climate variability. Energy is generally tackled as a mitigation issue or in relation to energy security, and more recently in relation to providing access to energy services at the household or community level.
This literature review was conducted with the aim of carrying out a systematic evidence search to support the idea that there is a synergy between access to energy and climate change adaptation, in particular to show how energy access contributes to reducing vulnerability and building resilience to climate change and climate variability. The core focus of the review being to find existing evidence, highlight where there are clear gaps in evidence and understand the challenges and opportunities for fostering a greater integration between energy access and climate change adaptation.
The following research questions have been considered:
(1) How has energy access been framed in the context of adaptation and
building resilience to climate change and climate variability?
(2) What does the literature say in terms of evidence that access to
energy increases resilience? Is there any evidence that access to energy
contributes to maladaptation?
(3) What are the potential challenges and opportunities for promoting
access to energy as a means of adaptation?
This report has been produced for Evidence on Demand with the assistance of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) contracted through the Climate, Environment, Infrastructure and Livelihoods Professional Evidence and Applied Knowledge Services (CEIL PEAKS) programme, jointly managed by DAI (which incorporates HTSPE Limited) and IMC Worldwide Limited.
Citation
Perera, N.; Boyd, E.; Wilkins, G.; Phillips Itty, R. Literature review on energy access and adaptation to climate change. Evidence on Demand, UK (2015) xii + 75 pp. [DOI: 10.12774/eod_cr.may2015.pereran]
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