Energy is the backbone of modern societies yet the environmental and social issues connected to the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels are pervasive. As an industry, energy is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally and rising levels of atmospheric CO2 spurred (in large part) by reliance on fossil fuels has been a driver of warming temperatures. In acknowledgement of the dangers posed by current and future changes to the climate, 200 countries signed -in 2015- The Paris Agreement, an international treaty to tackle climate change. Yet, despite the improved rhetoric, in 2019 global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide were higher than 2015 and higher than ever before.

“We believe that the global energy system in its entirety needs to be radically transformed for a sustainable future. ”

— Engaging Society for Sustainability

The specifics of this transformation varies between regions, but commonalities emerge in: proliferation of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency gains and reduction of energy demand, particularly in economically ‘developed’ nations.