Energy challenges in the Global SouthCEFR B1
10 Dec 2025
Adapted from Qian Sun, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Ahmed Raza, Unsplash
Over 70 percent of the world’s population faces an "energy trilemma": securing reliable electricity, keeping it affordable, and cutting emissions. China’s renewable industry now supplies solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and transmission equipment at large scale. That manufacturing helped push global prices down and made solar and wind deployment financially feasible in South Asia.
The Global South Energy Trilemma Index from Renmin University finds that, since 2000, most Global South countries have improved energy access and security but environmental sustainability remains low. For many low- and middle-income states the main barrier is cost; without cheaper clean technology, dependence on fossil fuels will continue.
Pakistan illustrates the tensions. It faces a large investment deficit and suffers from currency instability, circular debt and volatile foreign investment. The country relies on imported technology, and earlier coal plants built under a major international initiative still impose fixed payments that reduce fiscal space for new clean projects. Climate shocks such as the 2022 floods also damaged power infrastructure, increasing urgency for deeper technology transfer and local manufacturing support.
Difficult words
- trilemma — situation with three linked energy problems
- renewable — energy from sources that do not run out
- deployment — process of starting or using new systems
- feasible — possible to do or achieve successfully
- sustainability — ability to continue without damaging the environment
- dependence — state of needing someone or something to function
- fossil fuel — natural fuel such as coal, oil or gasfossil fuels
- circular debt — a repeating government or company payment problem
- technology transfer — moving technical knowledge or equipment between countries
- manufacturing — the process of making goods in factories
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could cheaper clean technology change energy choices in low- and middle-income countries?
- What local benefits might Pakistan get from deeper technology transfer and local manufacturing support?
- Can you think of an example where imported infrastructure caused financial problems in a country? What happened?
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