Examining energy poverty under high temperatures in China

Identifying and addressing energy poverty under high temperatures is crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy) and Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action). However, there is little knowledge of the current and future trends of energy poverty under high temperatures in developing countries. The study analyzes the regional and temporal disparities in the incidence of energy poverty under high temperatures by using daily electricity consumption data from 41,059 households in urban, rural and poverty-stricken areas (with the latter being more impoverished rural regions). The study finds that the energy-poverty incidence is 36.65 %, 32.53 % and 27.30 % for poverty-stricken, rural and urban households during early summer, respectively, while these incidences are 34.61 %, 29.45 % and 19.74 % during later summer in China. Although the energy-poverty incidence is reduced compared to the early summer, households experiencing energy poverty in the later summer face a more severe lack of adaptation to high temperatures than those during the early summer. Applying the results to CMIP6 climate change projections suggests that the energy-poverty incidence will increase to 38.37–40.32 %, 34.67–38.03 %% and 28.46–30.91 % during early summer and 39.00–44.81 %, 31.68–35.00 % and 19.74 % during the later for poverty-stricken, rural and urban households in 2041–2080 under SSP-RCP245 and SSP-RCP585. The results can help policymakers identify the energy-poverty households and have implications for countries’ adaptation strategies to climate change.