Wilkinson Paul, Smith Kirk R, Beevers Sean, Tonne Cathryn, Oreszczyn Tadj
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Lancet. 2007 Sep 29;370(9593):1175-87. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61255-0.
Since the last decades of the 19th century, technological advances have brought substantial improvements in the efficiency with which energy can be exploited to service human needs. That trend has been accompanied by an equally notable increase in energy consumption, which strongly correlates with socioeconomic development. Nonetheless, feasible gains in the efficiency and technology of energy use in towns and cities and in homes have the potential to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse-gas emissions, and to improve health, for example, through protection against temperature-related morbidity and mortality, and the alleviation of fuel poverty. A shift towards renewable energy production would also put increasing focus on cleaner energy carriers, especially electricity, but possibly also hydrogen, which would have benefits to urban air quality. In low-income countries, a vital priority remains the dissemination of affordable technology to alleviate the burdens of indoor air pollution and other health effects in individuals obliged to rely on biomass fuels for cooking and heating, as well as the improvement in access to electricity, which would have many benefits to health and wellbeing.
自19世纪最后几十年以来，技术进步使能源开发利用效率大幅提高，以满足人类需求。这一趋势伴随着能源消耗的显著增加，而能源消耗与社会经济发展密切相关。尽管如此，在城镇和家庭中提高能源使用效率和技术仍有潜力有助于减少温室气体排放，并改善健康状况，例如通过预防与温度相关的发病率和死亡率，以及缓解燃料贫困。向可再生能源生产的转变也将越来越关注更清洁的能源载体，特别是电力，但也可能包括氢气，这将有利于城市空气质量。在低收入国家，一个至关重要的优先事项仍然是推广负担得起的技术，以减轻那些不得不依靠生物质燃料做饭和取暖的个人所面临的室内空气污染和其他健康影响负担，以及改善电力供应，这将对健康和福祉带来诸多益处。
