ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Course Objectives: This course aims to achieve two goals: (1) help students learn how to live in a more sustainable world as a responsible citizen and, perhaps more importantly, (2) teach them how to identify and act on opportunities to be the next generation of energy leaders in their future careers.

Course Content: Sustainability is the new buzzword for the 21st century, and for good reason: the major actors across the global community now agree that the transition to a sustainable world is inevitable. Fighting climate change is the most essential element of achieving sustainability, and it is impossible to sustain the earth’s natural resources without harnessing green energy. National governments have signed several international agreements that seek to foster a sustainable future, from the Millennium Development Goals of 2000 to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Accords of 2015. The targets of these initiatives were first put into action through the European Green Deal in 2020. Although contrasting ideas exist about the future of “sustainable energy for all,” the world is progressing towards these goals, with encouraging signs that energy is becoming more sustainable and widely available.