8
national or global markets, but the majority of their production provisions their own
households, sometimes including one or more draught animals. While the harvesting of seafood is more likely done by men than women, it also goes both for household provisioning and for local and regional markets (often processed and sold by
female members of the household). The water and energy collected by women and
children are very important for household food preparation.
Energy
In the global North, most residences and institutional and commercial facilities are
connected to the electrical grid; this can provide the energy needed for lighting,
cooking, electronics, and heating. In the USA, approximately 5% of households
heat with coal or oil, a little more than half heat with natural gas, and roughly 5% of
US households heat with propane. Two percent of US households use wood as the
primary heating fuel.
Although electricity is generally available in the major cities in the global South,
the service is not highly dependable, and the current is highly variable. Outside the
major cities, much of the energy for heating is wood or peat or dung, and much of
the energy for cooking is charcoal or dung or wood. The use of these fuels causes
significant indoor air pollution and high levels of respiratory disease. While charcoal is produced locally and distributed by small-scale vendors, wood and dung are
(like water) collected by women and children often on a daily basis. Both in the
global North and in the global South, residential solar facilities are increasingly
used for cooking, electricity, and heating.
Water
In the global North, most residences have running water service for personal and
household uses and sanitation. But even in the USA, roughly 15% of households
rely on private wells for drinking water and septic tanks for wastewater treatment;
approximately 1% of the population lacks basic plumbing facilities. In Mexico
City, 70% of the city has fewer than 12 h of running water per day, and 18% of the
population receives water for only a couple hours every several days. The lack of
dependability and affordability and safety of the municipal water supply leads
roughly half of the households to purchase additional water privately.
Although water and sanitation service in the major cities in the global South resembles that in Mexico City, outside the cities, the services are much scarcer. In 2015,
according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 30% of the global
population did not have a safely managed drinking water service (on- premises, as
needed, and contamination-free). Members of these households (usually women and
children) have to transport water every day. One-third of these households rely on
untreated surface water; both these surface waters and shallow wells provide twothirds of these households with water that is contaminated with feces. This water is
P. Saundry and B. L. Ruddell
national or global markets, but the majority of their production provisions their own
households, sometimes including one or more draught animals. While the harvesting of seafood is more likely done by men than women, it also goes both for household provisioning and for local and regional markets (often processed and sold by
female members of the household). The water and energy collected by women and
children are very important for household food preparation.
Energy
In the global North, most residences and institutional and commercial facilities are
connected to the electrical grid; this can provide the energy needed for lighting,
cooking, electronics, and heating. In the USA, approximately 5% of households
heat with coal or oil, a little more than half heat with natural gas, and roughly 5% of
US households heat with propane. Two percent of US households use wood as the
primary heating fuel.
Although electricity is generally available in the major cities in the global South,
the service is not highly dependable, and the current is highly variable. Outside the
major cities, much of the energy for heating is wood or peat or dung, and much of
the energy for cooking is charcoal or dung or wood. The use of these fuels causes
significant indoor air pollution and high levels of respiratory disease. While charcoal is produced locally and distributed by small-scale vendors, wood and dung are
(like water) collected by women and children often on a daily basis. Both in the
global North and in the global South, residential solar facilities are increasingly
used for cooking, electricity, and heating.
Water
In the global North, most residences have running water service for personal and
household uses and sanitation. But even in the USA, roughly 15% of households
rely on private wells for drinking water and septic tanks for wastewater treatment;
approximately 1% of the population lacks basic plumbing facilities. In Mexico
City, 70% of the city has fewer than 12 h of running water per day, and 18% of the
population receives water for only a couple hours every several days. The lack of
dependability and affordability and safety of the municipal water supply leads
roughly half of the households to purchase additional water privately.
Although water and sanitation service in the major cities in the global South resembles that in Mexico City, outside the cities, the services are much scarcer. In 2015,
according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 30% of the global
population did not have a safely managed drinking water service (on- premises, as
needed, and contamination-free). Members of these households (usually women and
children) have to transport water every day. One-third of these households rely on
untreated surface water; both these surface waters and shallow wells provide twothirds of these households with water that is contaminated with feces. This water is
P. Saundry and B. L. Ruddell