Electric Energy Access in European Law: A Human Right? (original) (raw)
2012, SSRN Electronic Journal
Just imagine taking your sick son or daughter to the hospital after dark and having the doctor examine the child by candlelight. Or walking 10 miles to the hospital for treatment after being bitten by a rabid dog and discovering that the vaccination you need is located an additional 100 miles away in a facility that can stock it because it has refrigerators. That was the situation at the Village Health Works clinic in Burundi, where the sick often lay suffering in the dark and frustrated doctors had to consider the cost of running the diesel generator before turning it on in order to supply oxygen to a dying patient. "All of those discussions that you never want to have as a doctor," said to Dr. Sri Shamsuner, a visiting physician from the University of California." 1 Unfortunately, this story seems remote to a reader in living in developed countries such as France or the United States. However, this is the daily plight of people in underdeveloped countries, including countries like Burma and Nigeria that are major providers of fossil fuels to developed countries. 2 There, people still depend in wood, animal droppings and crop leftovers to provide for their energy needs, mainly for cooking food. I still remember stories from my grandmother in Puerto Rico who, in the 1930s had to walk 10 kilometers everyday round trip to gather wood and water for her family needs. No one questions the role of access to energy to the development of human civilization. A renowned scientist puts it this way: "Energy plays a fundamental role in shaping the human condition. People's need for energy is essential for survival, so it is not surprising that energy production and consumption are some of the most
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