# Greening The Household Sector In Algeria: Overcoming Obstacles To Transition Towards A Green Economy

Badreddine Amina, Larbi Cherif Hadjira

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Badreddine Amina, Larbi Cherif Hadjira. Greening The Household Sector In Algeria: Overcoming Obstacles To Transition Towards A Green Economy. 1st International Congress about: Sustainable Development for a Better Quality of Life, University of Tlemcen, Algeria, Jun 2024, Tlemcen, Algeria, Algeria. **hal-04629848**

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Submitted on 30 Jun 2024

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# Greening The Household Sector In Algeria: Overcoming Obstacles To Transition Towards A Green Economy

Badreddine Amina<fnref n="1" />, Larbi Cherif Hadjira <fnref n="2" />

*Corresponding author : Badreddine Amina

## Abstract :

This paper concerns the main obstacles which impede Algeria to converting to a green economy, especially the household sector. The main purposes include a study on the importance of poverty, an assessment of how the household energy consumption of clean sources, an examination of access to water and sanitation services, and a look into environmental cleanliness and waste disposal methods. The main outcomes show that the extreme poverty is highly in the rural areas which restrict the access to the clean energy source, improved water and sanitation facilities and also contribute to the inappropriate waste disposal system. The poorer households are more prone to use polluting energy sources and live in unhealthy areas, which worsens poverty and contributes to environment pollution. The paper proposes the adoption of urban localized poverty reduction strategies, especially in rural areas, supplying clean energy supplies and an improved water and sanitation systems to the poor and rural people and developing comprehensive waste management policies and improving public enlightenment on how a green economy can bring various benefits to the whole community. Overcoming these hindrances would make it possible for Algeria to encourage a green economy in the domestic sector, which will consequently decrease poverty, protect the environment and promote sustainable development.

**Key Words:** Green economy; Poverty; Clean energy; Water and sanitation; Environmental cleanliness; Household waste management.

**JEL Code:** Q56; Q58

<footnote n="1">¹ University M'Hamed Bougara of Boumerdes, Algeria, a.badreddine@univ-boumerdes.dz</footnote>

<footnote n="2">² University M'Hamed Bougara of Boumerdes, Algeria, larbihadjira@univ-boumerdes.dz</footnote>
Introduction :

Where the large proportion of population on the planet results in the ever-increasing human demand for energy, food, buildings and transportation, the natural resources are being exhausted as well. This, in turn, overwhelms the ecosystem, and in consequence, climate change pollution, biodiversity loss, decrease in investment in agriculture and shoe shrinking forests are the realities. Humanitarian activities, the development of industry and urbanization, as well as the financial and economic crises in the world, have also led to a deterioration of the ecological situation (heavy-metal pollution, high content of harmful chemical elements, decrease of land quality etc.) what has brought down many global economies and lead to impoverishment and unemployment. The global transition to green economy has come up as an apropos global vision which paves the way for sustainable development, a level which harmonizes environmental concern, social and economic standing, avoids consumption patterns of production and poverty as well.

Today, Algeria faces serious difficulties to make such a changeover to green economy in the face of severe economic, social and environmental issues, as it faces a slowdown in economic growth with a drop in oil prices, low income diversification, huge unemployment and high prices, which have all led to high poverty rates. The carbon emissions are constantly growing reducing, while population growth also continues the urbanization, industrialization, and transport experiences increase. Taking this dangerous situation into serious consideration, Algeria has targeted a number of energy and water policies and reforms to consolidate energy and water security, initiatives for rural development, environment protection, sustainable production and consumption that are in line with the green economy transition.

Green economy usually involves turning environmental conditions for the better, include carbon emission reducing, and developing social equity and improving the quality of life by implementing green solutions in the domestic economic sector, which is one of the elements of the economy, which produces waste form in different state and is one of the causes of poverty. Through this research paper, we will try to answer the following question: What are the major obstacles and barriers faced by Algerian households in the transition towards a green economy, and how can they be effectively addressed to facilitate this transition? To answer this question, we make the following assumptions:

1. Eliminating extreme poverty, especially in rural areas, is one of the challenges of transitioning to a green economy in Algeria.

2. One of the challenges of greening the domestic sector towards a green economy is to enable poor and rural populations to have access to clean energy sources for domestic consumption.

3. One of the challenges of greening the domestic sector towards a green economy is to ensure that rural and urban populations are connected to safe drinking water systems and improved sanitation facilities.

4. Living in an unclean environment and dumping household waste on the streets exacerbates poverty and environmental pollution, which is one of the obstacles to the transition to a green economy.
Lastly, we will importantly aim to show some of the main obstacles of the transition of a green economy to the domestic sector, especially the following: considering transition for sustainable consumption and recycling for a green economy, people will acquire eco-friendly energy sources, safe drinking water, proper sanitation and clean areas in a just way for both rural and urban communities and poor people as well as rich people.

# I. Literature review :

The transition to green economy has increasingly become a global focus as nations contemplate on how to achieve economic development goals concurrently with increasing environmental sustainability (Ekins, 2002; United Nations Environment Programme, 2011; Al-Taai, 2021; Reddy & Wilkes cited in Sifolo & Henama, 2017; Medinilla et al. 2022; Byiers et al., 2023). The economic problems, e.g. the necessity to diversify economy from the fossil fuel dependence are outlined in the different studies (Hadia, 2020; Čaušević, 2023; Zumbraegel, 2022). While the process of deregulation and industry barriers in sectors like energy can play a role in the greening of the national economy (Villaverde et al., 2022), they might not be a very active part of it. The process of greening the economical sectors, including local sectors, is an integral part of this transition which aims to reduce overall impact on environment and, as a result, to create the future that is sustainable on the global level (Ahmedbelbachir, 2023; Rahmane et al., 2019). Algeria, like many other countries faces enormous challenges and obstacles in greening its domestic economic sector as part of this transition (Almi & Boumar, 2023; Gaillard, 2021).

Research has been conducted on the special barriers faced by countries with a resource economy in shifting to a greener economic activities (Obaya et al., 2021). It is the rentier feature of the economy, the concentration on hydrocarbons as the main source of revenues, and the powerful group interest that can constrain structural reforms (Hillebrand, 2013; Le Billon & Kristoffersen, 2020). Oil and gas sector have been a significant region to Algeria's economy for a long time, Financial challenges being one of the key issues (Prontera, & Rubino, 2023; Gaillard, 2021; Müller et al., 2020; Teevan et al., 2021). While (Magacho et al. 2023) pointed out that the consequences of a low-carbon transition based on only fossil-fuel-exported would be very significant to countries like Algeria, it should be noted that this is to an extent. This economic tie generates a barrier to reforming and weaning off hydrocarbons.

The transition from the fossil fuel-based industries to an economy based on renewable energy sources could lead to a different economic landscape (Byiers et al. 2023). Besides this, the stronghold of the oil and gas sector has developed an undesirable resistance to change, as it can be regarded as a threat to the vital economic sector (Prontera and Rubino, 2023).
Algeria's economy is mainly to be blamed for its lack of diversification in which the hydrocarbon sector is mostly dominant (Kumetat, 2012). The economic diversification, which is absent, along with structural reforms, that can be implemented, will not help the development of a green economy (Budina et al., 2023). Overcoming this obstacle requires profound measures to push for economic diversification and the creation of a progressive economic structure that will support the development of green sectors.

Basically, the greening of the national economic sectors is hindered by various barriers including scarcity of finance, policy inertia, and behavioral resistance to the embracement of change (Fay, 2012; Leonard et al., 2021). Besides the green industry, there are challenges that are encountered on infrastructure, the technology transfer problem and the workforce being unskilled (Brahmbhatt et al., 2017; Avenyo & Tregenna, 2022).

The transition towards a green economy must include extensive funding in renewable energy, eco-friendly infrastructure, and environmentally responsible methods. Algeria, in this regard, is reported to have been investing in wind, solar and hydro energy projects as well as steering the country towards economic diversification (Death, 2016; Müller et al., 2021). Conversely, the process of transitioning from fossil fuels remains a massive challenge, in terms of designing comprehensive policy frameworks for the green industry as well as attracting green finance and investments (Ansari and Holz, 2020; Phung et al., 2023). Yet, getting a green economy in Algeria is hindered by financial limitations and investment barriers that may slow the process. (Nwani.2022) in his position emphasizes the importance of the development of the financial intermediation and resource allocation to promote the green growth of the continent. Succeeding in this will likely entail pursuing foreign direct investment, public-private collaboration, and establishment of robust green finance environment. Shortcoming of the investor base, resource constraints and financial mechanisms hamper investments in green industries and technologies (Saltane et al., 2023; Kamal-Chaoui & Plouin. 2012). The perpetual impediments to international and domestic funding which the transition hinges on play a significant role (Wambui et al., 2023).

Economic problems, such as the capital outlays which are very high, and the risk involved in breaking up the current economic relations, can also affect the greening of the domestic sector (Byiers et al., 2023; Rahmane et al., 2019). Furthermore, the limited options of financing and the lack of incentives for private sector participation can act as a hinder to the transition (Amroune & Dib, 2024; Rahmane et al., 2019).

The other challenge is the absence of a broad policy framework that is targeting at catalyzing the greening of industries within the domestic economy (Prontera & Rubino, 2023; Rahmane et al., 2019; Ajala, 2023; Ashraf & van Seters, 2022; Kamal-Chaoui & Plouin.2012). This lacks the provision of policy guidelines, financial incentives and mechanism of enforcement to the businesses and industries to improve their sustainability practices, which is the major challenge that is faced by this area (Amroune & Dib, 2024; Rahmane et al., 2019).
Political instability as well as economic crises of that of some African nations is also an issue (Adewole et al., 2013). On the other hand, (Mpofu, 2022) attests to the fact that majority of African countries have difficulties in implementing and enforcing environmental policies, regulations, and monitoring mechanisms.

Some works highlight the crucial role of institutional quality, effective governance, and providing support for capacity development in expediting green transition (Saadaoui & Chtourou, 2023; Youssef et al., 2020). Concurrently with near-time targets and long-term sustainable development goals an important issue that needs to be tackled (Teevan et al., 2021). In Algeria, one among the barriers to the implementation of green technologies and practice is the inadequacy of the technical capabilities and the infrastructure (Messaoudi et al., 2024; Amroune & Dib, 2024). It also contains access to modest renewable energies technologies, inadequate power infrastructure for renewable energy projects, and lack of manpower to support the transition (Prontera & Rubino, 2023; Rahmane et al., 2019).

By implementing green technologies and innovative ideas, the green economy can be built effectively. Yet, in relation to what (Zwarteveen et al. 2021) highlight regarding technological factors, such as quality issues or inappropriate infrastructure, they can be obstacles to green technologies diffusion. Addressing these impediments would necessitate dedicating to research and technology transfer and policy conducive to the development of commercial cooperation. The technical hurdles that include not enough skills, knowledge, and capacity of scaling up green innovations are of further challenges (Arsh et al., 2024). Beyond erecting obstacles in areas such as agriculture, construction, and automotive, the impediments are also be identified (Mörec, 2020). Researchers appeal to a recognition of these shortcomings and to taking the appropriate action to eliminate them. Some of the articles address the special concerns that apply to the greening of the energy sector, suggesting the adoption of comprehensive sectoral strategies encompassing the whole economy (Rawesat & Pilidis, 2024). The cement industry's problems and difficulties in the process of green transition are also discussed (Rawesat & Pilidis, 2024).

Finally, the societal and the cultural factors can also encompass the process of the acceptance and adoption of green practices and technology. The adjustment of global discussions centred on inclusive green growth may not correspond with the local realities and perceptions of the people. socio-cultural factors such as public acceptance, and willingness to change can be hurdles in the way for the greening of the Algerian domestic economy (Byiers et al., 2023; Rahmane et al., 2019). The path to change is not always smooth, and the lack of information and understanding of green economy benefits is a barrier to the introduction of sustainable practices and green policies (Almi and Boumar, 2023; Byiers et al., 2023). Overcoming these obstacles might be done by raising the public's awareness, providing education, and facilitating inclusion of different groups to guarantee the appropriate involvement of green initiatives.
With regard to this, by analyzing the data from the literature, it can be concluded that despite the national efforts directed to building a green economy, Algeria is confronted by a diversified range of difficulties along its way to a green economy transformation that encompasses different economic sectors such as industrial, transport, agricultural, and household. These issues include those of poverty worsening, pollution, and difficulties faced during the access of clean water as well as the inability to use energy resources efficiently.

## II. Methodology :

In order to deal with this research problem, we employed the techniques of analyzing the outcomes of this Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey/Sixth round (MICS 6 - 2019) for Algeria that provide estimates of the household consumption of clean energy sources, water, sanitation, and living area cleanliness, by geographical area and living standard. We employed percentages and cross-tabulations and the next step was to examine these results to accomplish the objective of the study. MICS 6-2019 included our sample of 29,919 households, which accounts for 147,838 individuals. This sample was drawn from the study population, which represents the number of households in Algeria, conducting the cluster random sampling. This permits the formation of expectations for Algeria's household features, including the nature of substandard living, type of residence area, and mode of household consumption of energy, water, sanitation and environmental cleanliness, which serves the objectives of this research.

## III. Results

### 1. Presentation of hypothesis (01) results : The magnitude or prevalence of poverty in Algeria

Poverty represents one of the main challenges facing the green economy in developing countries, and poverty levels can be measured across three dimensions: education, health, and living conditions, which are covered under the wide spectrum of poverty, and is called multidimensional poverty. While in the case of present research the poverty is determined by the living standard dimension of the household through which we identified the distribution of the Algerian population according to the household wealth index which was calculated by using data on characteristics of the dwelling, family possessions of assets and goods, and the type of water used for drinking and cooking and sanitation. Households are classified into five levels: the poorest, poor, middle class, rich, and extremely rich, as that is the way the neighbourhoods are grouped.
<table><caption>Table 1. Housing Situation in Algeria Regarding the Household Members Distribution by Wealth Index and Residence Area</caption><thead><tr><th>Wealth Index<br>Residence Area</th><th>Extremely Poor</th><th>Poor</th><th>Middle</th><th>Rich</th><th>Very Rich</th><th>Number of Household Members</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th>Urban</th><td>8.3%</td><td>15.5%</td><td>21%</td><td>25.5%</td><td>29%</td><td>93745</td></tr><tr><th>Rural</th><td>40.3%</td><td>27.7%</td><td>17%</td><td>10.4%</td><td>4.5%</td><td>54093</td></tr><tr><th>Total</th><td>20%</td><td>20%</td><td>20%</td><td>20%</td><td>20%</td><td>147838</td></tr></tbody></table>

Source: Results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Sixth Round (MICS 6-2019) for Algeria

According to Table 1 given, 20% of Algerian population fall under extremely poor line, while 20% are under poor line. Nevertheless, this distribution differs between urban and rural areas, in the case of poverty being more common in the rural areas. It is estimated that 68% of the rural population is classified as poor, these poor households are divided into the 40.3% who are in the extremely poor category and the 27.7% who are in the poor category. Conversely, in urban areas 8.3% live in the extremely poor households and 15.5% in the poor households, meaning that more than two-thirds of the rural population live in the poor households alone.

## 2. Presentation of hypothesis (02) results : Household Energy Consumption of Clean Energy in Algeria

MICS Algeria (2019) is a set of statistics that gives the current situation of household level clean energy use in the domestic sector through the assessment of the main technologies and types of fuels used for cooking, heating, and lighting in both urban and rural areas based on the living standard of the household.

<table><caption>Table 2: The Relative Distribution of the Total Household Members Who Use Clean Energy by Area of Residence and Wealth Index</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="2">The percentage of households' use of clean energy</th><th rowspan="2">Cooking</th><th rowspan="2">Heating</th><th rowspan="2">Lighting</th><th rowspan="2">Clean Energy Usage Rate</th><th rowspan="2">Number of Household Members</th></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Household Characteristics</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th colspan="2">Total</th><td>99,6%</td><td>97,1%</td><td>99,7%</td><td>96,8%</td><td>147838</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="2">Residence Area</th><th>Urban</th><td>99,9%</td><td>99%</td><td>99,7%</td><td>98,8%</td><td>93745</td></tr><tr><th>Rural</th><td>99,2%</td><td>93,6%</td><td>99,7%</td><td>93,3%</td><td>54093</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="5">Wealth Index</th><th>Extremely Poor Households</th><td>98,4%</td><td>89,2%</td><td>98,5%</td><td>89,8%</td><td>29570</td></tr><tr><th>Poor Households</th><td>99,7%</td><td>95,9%</td><td>99,8%</td><td>95,8%</td><td>29557</td></tr><tr><th>Middle Households</th><td>100%</td><td>99%</td><td>100%</td><td>98,9%</td><td>29576</td></tr><tr><th>Rich Households</th><td>100%</td><td>99,7%</td><td>100%</td><td>99,6%</td><td>29567</td></tr><tr><th>Very Rich Households</th><td>100%</td><td>99,9%</td><td>100%</td><td>99,9%</td><td>29568</td></tr></tbody></table>

Source: Results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Sixth Round (MICS 6-2019) for Algeria
Table.2 shows that 96.8% of the population in Algeria uses low carbon fuels for their home energy consumption. Though the ratio of clean energy used in home appliance of people living in urban area (98.8%) is higher than those in rural area (93.3%), it is still a general achievement. The numbers above indicate that 89.8% of the population that lives in extreme poverty homes rely on clean energy whereas 99.9% of the people from very rich households use it.

### 3. Presentation of Hypothesis (3) Results: Access to Basic Water Services and Sanitation

The sixth target of sustainable development plans to provide all people with clean drinking water and proper sanitation by 2030 and urges the good management of this resource. Water sector management including the control, rationalization of its use, prevention of its pollution and disruption are among the requirements for moving towards the green economy. Besides that, maintaining sanitation facilities prevents the deterioration of water quality, increasing environmental pollution, and furthering poverty.

#### 3.1. Water

The table presented below shows the distribution of the population according to the main source of drinking water, the percentage of households having access to improved, accessible, and safe drinking water, the percentage of households without access to enhanced sources on-site, the percentage of households with enough water amount, when needed and when the water is not contaminated based on the household's living standard and residence area.

<table><caption>Table 3: Relative distribution of total household members using clean water by area of residence and wealth index</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="2">The percentage of households using clean water</th><th rowspan="2">Improved drinking water</th><th rowspan="2">Basic water services</th><th rowspan="2">People don't have drinking water on site</th><th rowspan="2">Adequate drinking water</th><th rowspan="2">Number of household members</th></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Household Characteristics</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">Total</td><td>%99.1</td><td>%94.1</td><td>%29.5</td><td>%72.7</td><td>147838</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">Residence Area</td><td>Urban</td><td>%99.6</td><td>%96.2</td><td>%24.2</td><td>%74.6</td><td>93745</td></tr><tr><td>Rural</td><td>%98.2</td><td>%90.5</td><td>%38.6</td><td>%69.4</td><td>54093</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="4">Wealth Index</td><td>Extremely Poor Households</td><td>%97</td><td>%88</td><td>%41.4</td><td>%62.9</td><td>29570</td></tr><tr><td>Poor Households</td><td>%99.5</td><td>%95.9</td><td>%29.7</td><td>%69.3</td><td>29557</td></tr><tr><td>Middle Households</td><td>%99.7</td><td>%95.8</td><td>%27.8</td><td>%72.5</td><td>29576</td></tr><tr><td>Rich Households</td><td>%99.4</td><td>%95.7</td><td>%27</td><td>%78.3</td><td>29567</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Very Rich Households</td><td>%99.7</td><td>%95.6</td><td>%21.4</td><td>%80.3</td><td>29568</td></tr></tbody></table>

Source: Results of the Sixth Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 6- 2019) for Algeria
Approximately (Table 03) shows that nearly 99.1% of Algerian population had access to safe (uncontaminated) drinking water. This percentage is allocated towards the urban areas with a share of 99.6% and rural areas with 98.2%. This also means 97% of people from extremely poor families have access to improved water while the other 99.7% have access to uncontaminated drinking water from very rich households, which suggests there is no considerable variation in access to clean drinking water between poor and rich families.

Nonetheless, the difference is in the use of simple water services such as connection to water network. This rate is 96.2% among the households in urban areas, 90.5% among those in the rural areas, and 88% among the extremely poor households, while it is 95.6% among the extremely rich ones. Additionally, concerning the access to on-site drinking water, in rural areas it is estimated that 38.6% of household members lack such access while this number is 24.2% in urban areas. Similarly, people from extremely poor households own 41.4% of their homes with personal water connections compared to 21.4% for people coming from extremely rich households. This demonstrates that households with a low living standard are not able to enjoy safe water at home and require a certain distance of travel to obtain drinkable water. Furthermore, the percentage of people from the households with adequate drinking water stands at 72.7%. This percentage is 69.4% in rural areas and 74.6% in urban areas. For individuals from very poor households, it is 62.9%, however it exceeds 80% for those from extremely rich households. It is estimated that about 27% of the total population suffer from an inadequate water supply.

## 3.2. Sanitation

The estimates in (Table4) illustrate the percentage distribution of the population who meet the criteria of the Sustainable Development Goals for sanitation services.

<table><caption>**Table 4 : Relative distribution of total household members using sanitation facilities by area of residence and wealth index**</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="2">Percentage of households using sanitation facilities</th><th rowspan="2">Improved sanitation facilities</th><th rowspan="2">Basic sanitation</th><th rowspan="2">Connection to sanitation Channels</th><th rowspan="2">Unimproved sanitation Facilities</th><th rowspan="2">Number of Household Members</th></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Household Characteristics</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">Total</td><td>%96.8</td><td>86.3%</td><td>%84.4</td><td>%2.6</td><td>147838</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">Residence Area</td><td>Urban</td><td>%99.5</td><td>89.7%</td><td>%97.4</td><td>%0.5</td><td>93745</td></tr><tr><td>Rural</td><td>%92.3</td><td>80.2%</td><td>%62</td><td>%6.3</td><td>54093</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="5">Wealth Index</td><td>Extremely Poor Households</td><td>%87</td><td>68%</td><td>%48.9</td><td>%10.3</td><td>29570</td></tr><tr><td>Poor Households</td><td>%98.2</td><td>83.5%</td><td>%82</td><td>%1.7</td><td>29557</td></tr><tr><td>Middle Households</td><td>%99.2</td><td>%89</td><td>%94</td><td>%0.8</td><td>29576</td></tr><tr><td>Rich Households</td><td>%99.9</td><td>%94</td><td>%97.7</td><td>%0.1</td><td>29567</td></tr><tr><td>Very Rich Households</td><td>%99.9</td><td>%96.7</td><td>%99.6</td><td>%0.1</td><td>29568</td></tr></tbody></table>

Source: Results of the Sixth Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 6- 2019) for Algeria
The data in (Table 4) indicate the shares or percentages of the people that satisfy the requirements on sanitation services as envisioned by the Sustainable Development Goals. These statistics thus reflect the differences between urban and rural populations and poverty and the rich in their access to better sanitation facilities. We have 99.5% of the population using improved sanitation facilities in urban areas while this number goes down to 92.3% in rural areas. Besides this, there is a 87% probability for individuals from extremely poor households compared to 99.9% for extremely rich households.

Besides, 97.4% of the urban population is living in houses connected to the sewage systems in cities while the rural population is 62%. The percentage for poorest households is only 48.9%, and the number rises to 99.6% for the richest households. This shows that the households that are poorer have got lesser access to sanitation services than the richer ones.

**4. Presentation of hypothesis (04) results: Environmental Cleanliness and Household Waste Disposal Methods**

The data presented in (Table 5) below enable us to determine the distribution of households by the quality of the surrounding area of the occupied dwelling and by the frequency and methods of household waste disposal. It does not only focus on medical waste behaviors but also some others, for instance, how to dispose of expired and other medications correctly by delivering them to healthcare facilities.

The data in Table (05) show that 15.2% of the families live in the houses that are placed in the dirty areas, no matter they are in rural or urban areas. Moreover the proportion of extremely poor families that live in areas without proper hygiene is 33.5% as compared to 5.2% of extremely rich families. Like-wise, 15.2% of extremely poor households throw their garbage in the street compared to 3.6% of extremely rich households. These facts clearly indicate that the poor are more susceptible to environmental threats compared to the rich, which in turn negatively affects them, as these people become more prone to the spread of diseases, unwanted insects, and deterioration of their way of living, which in turn worsens their poverty.
<table><caption>Table 5: Relative distribution of households according to the cleanliness of the external environment of the house and methods of household waste disposal</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="2">Environmental cleanliness and waste disposal methods</th><th rowspan="2">Families living in unclean places</th><th colspan="3">Waste disposal methods</th><th rowspan="2">Number of Household Members</th></tr><tr><th>Household Characteristics</th><th></th><th>Proportion of families who dispose of their waste on a daily basis</th><th>Percentage of families dumping their waste on the street</th><th>Proportion of families delivering expired medicines to health services</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">Total</td><td>%15.2</td><td>%73.1</td><td>%7.9</td><td>%2.7</td><td>29919</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">Residence Area</td><td>Urban</td><td>%15.2</td><td>%72.9</td><td>%8</td><td>%2.6</td><td>26663</td></tr><tr><td>Rural</td><td>%15.2</td><td>%74.8</td><td>%7.5</td><td>%3.7</td><td>3265</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="5">Wealth Index</td><td>Extremely Poor Households</td><td>%33.5</td><td>%61.6</td><td>%15.2</td><td>%1.3</td><td>6043</td></tr><tr><td>Poor Households</td><td>%17.5</td><td>%67</td><td>%8.8</td><td>%2.7</td><td>6017</td></tr><tr><td>Middle Households</td><td>%11.7</td><td>%72.8</td><td>%6.9</td><td>%2.2</td><td>6013</td></tr><tr><td>Rich Households</td><td>%8</td><td>%79.2</td><td>%5</td><td>%3.2</td><td>5963</td></tr><tr><td>Very Rich Households</td><td>%5.2</td><td>%85.2</td><td>%3.6</td><td>%4.1</td><td>5883</td></tr></tbody></table>

Source: Results of the Sixth Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 6- 2019) for Algeria

## IV. Discussion

### 1. Analysis and Discussion of hypothesis (01): "Eliminating extreme poverty, especially in rural areas, is one of the challenges of transitioning to a green economy in Algeria"

The statistics in Table number (01) evidently show inequality in poverty distribution among rural and urban areas, where extreme poverty and poverty predominantly occur in rural areas. In light of the above, the Arab Report on Multidimensional Poverty has suggested that the Arab nations have serious troubles with poverty reduction, among which are spatial inequality in the distribution of poverty. Real multidimensional poverty is more prevalent in rural parts than in urban areas (ESCWA, Arab Report on Multidimensional Poverty, 2017), which presents a serious obstacle to the transition to a green economy that is sparing poverty, especially in rural areas.

As a result, one of the key problems that Algeria is facing is poverty reduction particularly in the rural areas, by providing the necessities of life for the population and improving their living standards. The green economy is as a driver of sustainable development and poverty eradication, which the United Nations have reported as one of the challenges awareness to be face in Arab rural areas where poverty is widespread.
Youth unemployment in the Arab world is higher compared to the global average, and most Arab countries suffer from significant gaps and inequalities among different population groups (ESCWA, The Green Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication: The principals, opportunities, and challenges in the Arab region 2011).

## 2. Analysis and discussion of hypothesis (02) : "One of the challenges of greening the domestic sector towards a green economy is to enable poor and rural populations to have access to clean energy sources for domestic consumption"

The statistics in Table (02) have turned out to be very clear that people who inhabit the rural areas and the extremely poor families are least likely to be connected to the clean energy sources. This shows that the life style of a family has an inverse relationship to the amount of polluting energy it uses, implying that there is not equity and fairness in all the accessibility level of clean energy. This limits the process of greening the domestic field that is needed for the transformation to the green economy. A large part of the Algerian rural people still do not have easy access to clean energy because they are not connected to the natural gas and electricity grid, and therefore they use diesel, gasoline, or wood or similar high-carbon method of energy supply for cooking and heating. The use of unclean energy in domestic sector for cooking, heating, and lighting raises the level of air pollution that comes as carbon emission.

According to the World Bank database, for instance, the emissions of carbon dioxide stemming from the consumption of fossil fuels in Algeria were 2.68 tons per capita in 2000, and these rose up to 4.23 tons per capita in 2019. It was estimated that carbon dioxide emissions from the domestic sector contributed to emitting 15.2% of the total emission in 2014. These emissions were as a result of residential, commercial, and governmental buildings and they included emissions from fuel combustion in homes. By providing the rural poor with and through low-cost electricity and natural gas supply and encouraging them to use clean technologies and renewable energies for domestic use, environmental impacts can be reduced to achieve justice and welfare for the rural populations and ensure social justice. This results in the greening of the local economy as one of the conditions for moving toward a green economy. In the UN report "Towards a Green Economy," the substantial role of renewable energy resources outside the grid was highlighted. This is to say that the establishment of a green economy aims at increasing access to services and infrastructure in the areas which are off the grids. The goal of this green economy is to reduce poverty and improve quality of life. The energy poverty eradication is a vital issue while implementing this transition (UNEP 2011, 10)
### 3. Analysis and Discussion of Hypothesis (03) : "One of the challenges of greening the domestic sector towards a green economy is to ensure that rural and urban populations are connected to safe drinking water systems and improved sanitation facilities "

The data presented in Tables (3) and (4) suggest that rural people as well as the poorest of households have limited access to clean water and sanitation since most basic services are not safe and not improved. Therefore, this raises the question of how the household human activity sector can be green economizing transitioned to. As the report of United Nations sums up in "Towards a Green Economy", it is noted that when people are being deprived of water, they spend a major share of their income to purchase water or they make the time to get water themselves as women and children do. Another critical issue is that poor sanitation is followed by expensive waterborne diseases. Therefore, water literature demonstrates that water resourcing is an essential factor which is the foundation of progress and the kernel of green economy in areas where water scarcity is an issue and where a high proportion of population fail to get adequate water sources and waste disposal services (UNEP, 2011, p.10). (Aziz et al. 2015), in turn, highlighted the apparent challenge in a green economy transition, which is water scarcity in the Arab region, that has been considered the most serious one among all the environmental constraints due to the fact that the Arab region is the driest in the world. About 30 to 50% of water meant for drinking purpose is loss due to poor condition distribution networks and the trend of water failure is seen as continuing if any plan of reverting this water loss is not worked out.

To achieve the green economy transition of Algeria, the supply of safe and clean water and sanitation services, particularly for the rural and remote areas where those people live in extreme poverty and don't have any access to clean water and sanitation networks must be provided. This, in turn, worsens the situation of poverty, diseases and pollutions of environment. In this context, Algeria is working to ensure that all of its population get access to sanitation facilities, which include bringing down the gap between the rural and urban areas.

Technologies that remove pollutants from wastewater can be an additional resource for non-traditional water uses such as farming, planning, and domestic activities. It permits a natural environment that is not polluted as well as new job opportunities for sanitation institutions that offer services, thereby causing the transition to a green economy.
4. Analysis and Discussion of Hypothesis (04) : " Living in an unclean environment and dumping household waste on the streets exacerbates poverty and environmental pollution, which is one of the obstacles to the transition to a green economy"

Estimations in Table (05) demonstrate that as the living standards of families decline, the proportion of households living in unclean areas and disposing of their household waste in the streets increases. Household waste includes food remains, vegetables, fruits, papers, glass, plastic bags, metal cans, and diapers, among others. Disposing of such waste in the streets leads to the spread of diseases, insects, water, and soil pollution, thereby exacerbating poverty and environmental pollution. Numerous studies have established a reciprocal causal relationship between poverty and environmental pollution, where poverty is both a major cause and a consequence of environmental problems.

From this perspective, improper practices in household waste management, such as littering streets and burning waste, are considered obstacles to transitioning towards a green economy in Algeria because they contribute to worsening poverty and environmental pollution. Therefore, the presence of waste management policies and measures with sufficient funding can establish garbage sorting and recycling institutions with adequate capacities, combatting improper practices of the population. This helps alleviate poverty in poor neighborhoods, reduces environmental pollution, and creates new job opportunities known as green jobs, which are essential goals of the green economy.

Conclusion :

Algeria, as a well as others developed and developing countries, is on the way to green economy which is one of the main objectives in the achievement of sustainable development. This is due to the fact that it is a green economy and it is centred on eradicating poverty and achieving social equality. Greening of the economy will be a success story for various economic sectors including the household sector, a contributor to environmental pollution through various means like sewage water, household waste, and the use of non-clean energy and that may aggravate the poverty, climate change and the spread of diseases.

Nonetheless, this shift has a number of hurdles that it has to overcome, one of which is that the government has to ensure poverty is reduced and inequality is eliminated between urban and rural areas in the provision of the basic needs. One of the key factors hindering green economy transition in Algeria is the reduction of the poverty level, especially seen in rural areas. About 40.3% of households in the rural areas are experiencing extreme poverty, against the scenario in urban settlements where only 8.3% face the same challenge.
The surveys found that the living standards were in direct relationship to
consumption of polluting energy as the families with lower income levels were found
to consume more polluting energy. Rural people have higher energy consumption,
meaning that there is injustice and lack of equality in accessing clean energy among
all population groups. Hence, the enabling of clean energy for poor and rural people
is likely to be one of the issues involved in the transition to a green economy in the
household sector which will help in poverty reduction, especially in rural
communities, and the reduction of household consumption of polluting energy
sources.

The results showed that the poor and the ones living in the rural areas get the benefits of improved basic water services and sanitation facilities less compared to the urban residents. Thus, extreme poverty will be exacerbated especially in the rural areas and there will be environmental pollution. So, the supply of basic water services and the creation of modern sanitation facilities for the poor and the rural residents are the main obstacles for greening the household sector that is the transition to a green economy. The data also show that with decreasing family living standards, they are often forced to live in unfavorable places with no sewage facilities, and this waste is disposed of in the streets, which forms a barrier to the transition to a green economy due to the fact that it increases poverty in families and environmental pollution.

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