In this thirteenth interview of the “17 Rooms” podcast, Todd Moss discusses new “measurable metrics” to reframe SDG7 energy targets to be more ambitious and location-specific with Clare Boland Ross and John McArthur. Listen to the full episode below, or here (with a full transcript available for download):

Published in World Development Perspectives, Vol. 25, March 2022. As the US and much of Europe pursue aggressive plans to decarbonize, in part by replacing coal-fired power stations with cleaner sources, the global focus has shifted to coal in emerging economies.

Reliable electricity is crucial to economic development, but gaps in outage data often prevent utility operators from understanding the scale of the problem.

This post is co-authored with Joshua Adkins, Eric Hsu, Noah Klugman, Adam Streff, and Alexandra Wall. Policymakers increasingly recognize the importance of energy access for sustainable development.

Africa’s current coal capacity is a fraction of the global total, but many fear a potential coal boom on the continent, a concern that has captured media attention and bolstered calls to halt funding for all fossil fuels.