Energy Systems and Sustainability Policy

Catalog description

Energy is a central to our daily lives and understanding energy systems is critical to addressing major challenges of the 21st century including climate change, economic and social development, and global security. Access to modern, clean affordable energy is an essential building block to poverty alleviation and sustainable human development. A fundamental transformation of the current energy system will be required over the coming decades to reduce the risks of catastrophic climate change and ensure the world’s population can be sustained at adequate levels of economic welfare without damaging the wellbeing of future generations. The United Nations offers a shared blueprint for sustainability and prosperity for all peoples and the planet. This agenda centers on 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that define the fundamental goals for sustainability. But driving concerted action to radically restructure the global energy system and to achieve the goals for global sustainable development requires a massive mobilization of peoples, policies and practice. In this course, students will be introduced to foundational knowledge needed to understand the policies and frameworks that can deliver sustainability solutions and promote the energy transition. The course will begin with an overview of energy systems and sustainability policy to elucidate how sustainability and energy transition concepts and targets are determined by governments, stakeholders, and private industry for different sectors and then offer a deeper dive into specific policy levers that can be used to drive new technologies, system transformation, and radically different pathways for economic development that are informed by sustainability.