The Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs publishes policy-focused reports, white papers and proceedings addressing a variety of subjects that reflect contemporary global issues and the outstanding research and scholarship of our faculty. Some of these are produced in cooperation with other organizations that the school partners with.
For more than a decade, Puerto Rico has faced persistent energy insecurity. Energy insecurity—the lack of reliable, affordable and sustainable energy access—poses significant risks, especially for individuals over 50, a group with higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The privatization of the energy grid, now in the hands of LUMA Energy, compounded the devastating impact of Hurricane María in 2017, making reliable electricity access a critical public health issue that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.
This white paper explores how older adults with chronic illnesses in rural, disaster-prone contexts experience and manage energy insecurity and community-based energy transitions in their everyday lives, with particular attention to how poverty and high energy burdens shape vulnerability, chronic disease management, and access to reliable energy.
