Saleem Ali on Accessible Energy

Below, Saleem Ali responds to the question:

The boundaries of science are continually expanding as scientists become increasingly integral to finding solutions for larger social issues, such as poverty, conflict, financial crises, etc. On what specific issue/problem do you feel we need to bring the scientific lens to bear?

The most significant challenge for scientists in coming years will be to provide energy, particularly access to electric power, in developing countries that need it for improving economic prospects as well as for providing basic health and social services. Consider the Democratic Republic of Congo, a vast country one-fifth the size of the continental United States and with a population of around 66 million. As of 2008, only six percent of the DRC's population has access to electricity. Out of this national percentage, 35 percent of the urban areas are electrified (accounting for 22 percent of the country's population), while only one percent of the rural areas have electricity (where 78 percent of the people live). Providing electricity to the world in clean and efficient ways needs to be a priority for scientists who care about development. Geography teachers often show maps of the world with differentiated darkness in parts of the developing world. While the brightness of wasteful lights should not be the touchstone of development, access to basic electricity as exemplified by stable supplies for households and for integral industrial establishments, hospitals, schools, and universities should indeed be our goal.