Post 2: Poor people's energy outlook

While reading I was struck by how much of a multifaceted issue lack of energy systems is for poor households. When I think of a household lacking electricity or efficient cooking mechanisms (stoves, lights, etc.), for example, my mind primarily jumps to the decreased efficiency the situation would create, and to the necessary reliance on extra resources the family would experience. Of course, though, this would also be an issue interconnected with health, education and environmentalism. If a family is without a low-carbon cooking device, then they run a much greater risk of contracting pneumonia or other lung diseases. Without a light in the house, there is a huge risk of injury and reduced efficiency past sunset. In my life these technological innovations have been so second-nature that I have been so privileged enough to forget about the life-or-death component of their existence! Overall, the issue of energy serves as an excellent first example for a fairly simple concept, but one that my social-science mind is not always conscious of: that engineering––though maybe confused as a way to answer questions of utility, construction, science/technology, etc.––is a necessary tool to answer social issues.