IEA says 1.6 bil. people around world lack electricity.

Japan Energy Scan, September, 2002

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 29 Kyodo

A quarter of the world's population, some 1.6 billion people, have no access to electricity, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report issued Wednesday in Johannesburg, coinciding with the U.N. summit on sustainable development.

The report by the Paris-based agency also said that 2.4 billion people rely on traditional biomass such as wood for cooking and heating and said the number will increase to 2.6 billion by 2030.

''Lack of electricity and heavy reliance on traditional biomass are hallmarks of poverty in developing countries. Lack of electricity exacerbates poverty and contributes to its perpetuation, as it precludes most industrial activities and the jobs they create,'' the report said....