Towards sustainable development

Sustainable development and energy transition represent great challenges for our world.

Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report.

It says: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

This highlights two key concepts:

• the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and

• the idea of limitation imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.

It could also be define as a development that is balanced between : social, economic, and environmental objectives or using the 3P: for People, Profit and Planet.

In this equation the planet or environmental objective appears drastically challenging.

Through Energy Transition

Global warming is now a worldwide concern.

In 2015, the COP21 Paris Climate Conference has been a unique International moment and engagement. 195 states set up an agreement to limit the climate change and the global warming below 2°C by 2100.

A tool to achieve the climate change mitigation is : the Energy transition.
A sustainable energy transition is a shift from an energy intensive society based on fossil fuels to energy efficiency with low carbon and renewable energy sources.

Energy Transition is a challenge of technology and management:

• implementation of disruptive innovation,

• time and,

• change management are crucial.

Indeed, new knowledge and skills are needed; this is exactly what this MOOC is made for!