Socio-Economic and environmental indicators: do they go hand in hand or back to back? A zoom into SDG 7

Abstract

The EU is succeeding in the achievement of climate and energy targets, but affordability of energy services, cannot be overlooked. Interlinkages between SDG 7’s social, economic, and environmental dimensions are assessed to understand whether they go hand in hand or back to back. Using Eurostat data for 27 countries on the share of households unable to keep homes warm, energy dependency, and the share of renewables, we compute correlations and plot scatter and Venn diagrams, to expose national relative performances in the three indicators. Results show a diversity of synergistic or trade-off paths, making clear that the solutions to improve the progress in SDG 7 cannot be the same for all Member States and that even the most urgent measures in a domain should not compromise progresses in others. The micro affordability ratios computed and the share of households with affordability problems expose a greater extension of issues than those revealed by the EU affordability indicator, confirming the relevance of looking at the problem from different lenses. Moreover, households with elders and living in more isolated areas are especially prevalent among those with affordability problems. This should be accommodated in policy measures to support those most in need.