Abstract
All human activities are dependent on energy. Regarding the dimension of world’s energy problem, it becomes clear that resolving energy issue is the most challenging issue for sustainable development. The term, sustainable development, was first coined by the Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, published by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. Introducing the concept of sustainable development, the report addresses “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (1987:43).” In recent years, there have been a wide arrange of discussion on sustainable development in academic communities but also policymaking communities around the world. It attaches the idea of sustainability to traditional approach to development so as to ensure both economic growth and environmental protection especially in developing countries. However, as Redclift points out, the concept is more charming than meaningful (1987:3). While the concept has successfully framed the ways of understanding development, it has not been able to present concrete roadmap toward sustainable development.
The controversy over sustainable development is centered on the absence of sustainable energy. Critics of sustainable development often point out that almost all contemporary forms of energy source inherently leave their footprints on the earth. The most notable example is fossil fuels. The discovery of efficient use of fossil fuels in the nineteenth century brought industrial revolutions to every corners of the world fundamentally transforming people’s standard of living. However, inflating consumption of fossil fuel also began to affect living environments of every species on the earth causing global climate change. The international community became aware of global climate change and drew consensus among the member states that all states eventually have to reduce greenhouse gas emission in order to secure living place for future generations to come. Stern Review warns that that climate change would not only devastate the environment and cause mass migration but also cut the world’s annual economic growth by 20 percent (Stern, 5:2006). Nevertheless, the international community still has not found suitable energy sources to replace fossil fuels to reduce carbon emission while scientists strongly urge policymakers to conduct every possible precaution for climate change…(Continued)
 
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