
154 Solar Power for the World
reap the benefits of technical progress that could be accessible to
them; the dangers of the poverty explosion in the “Third World” are
increasing.
It is expected that a minimum degree of personal comfort in poor
rural areas in the “Third World” through lighting, communication,
TV, etc. would have a dramatic effect on fighting the exploding
population, social unrest, and migration to cities and emigration to
other countries.
Among the essential needs that electricity may serve, there is
first of all the minimum for survival—at least 20 million people
die each year because of contaminated water and a lack of basic
health care.