Page 12 - GHES-3-1

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Energy consumption and life expectancy in West Africa

Figure 1. A framework for addressing the electricity access deficit in Africa
Source: Blimpo & Cosgrove-Davies (2019).

Figure 3. Energy stacking
Source: Nthabiseng et al. (2018).
2.1.1. Environmental sustainability within the
neoclassical economic framework
Figure 2. Energy ladder Boulding (2013) and Dragulanescu & Dragulanescu
Source: Choumert et al. (2017). (2013) theorized that an economic system is divided
into two major interdependent components. First, the
to satisfy their energy needs (Figure 3). While some high- economic system, or the real economy, is where scarce
income households, healthcare providers, and enterprises resources are optimally allocated and value creation is
can use efficient energy sources (electricity and solar undertaken. Corruption can derail the optimal allocation
energy), most households cannot do so due to the costs of scarce resources. Second, the environment supports
involved, forcing them to continue using unclean energy life on earth and connects the ecosystem with the real
sources (fossil or transition fuels) and, thus, leading economy. Environmental sustainability theory further
to environmental degradation and higher health risks. acknowledges that the real economy is a sub-system that
Therefore, discussions on the life expectancy – energy functions effectively only when it is supported by the
consumption nexus in developing countries must take into environment. This imposes the need to balance the real
account energy-stacking strategies (Figure 3) to improve economy and the environment to ensure the sustainability
health conditions and general well-being. However, of both systems.
these strategies are firmly rooted in income levels, which Michael Grossman’s theory of healthcare demand
previous empirical studies have overlooked. (Grossman, 1972) is also relevant to this study. This theory

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2025) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3518