It’s 2012 and still roughly 800 million people in Asia and the Pacific lack access to electricity.

Meanwhile, two billion people in the region still use wood, charcoal or other traditional fuels for heating and cooking. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) says there’s a clear link between poor access to modern energy sources and poverty.

Dianne Penn spoke to Martin Krause who heads UNDP’s Environment, Climate & Energy team, which is based in Bangkok, to find out why they want this picture to change.