Energy for Sustainable Development

~ e concept of sustainable development refers to development that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (WCED, 1987). This has social, economic and environmental dimensions. The way energy is produced and used plays an essential role in all the three dimensions. Current primary energy sources are shown in Figure 3.1. The energy system today is heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas), which together account for 80% of global primary energy consumption (Johansson and Goldemerg, 2002). It is clear that countries differ significantly in the structure of their energy consumption (Figures 3.2-3.4).