Following the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the 2002
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, and the
2012 Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, sustainable development has
become a widely accepted concept. World decision makers are seeking a
more sustainable development path through the ongoing UN Post-2105
Agenda discussions, which includes key themes like the Green Economy
(GE) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). They are hoping to
find integrated solutions to many critical problems, including
traditional development issues (such as energy scarcity, economic
stagnation, poverty, hunger, and illness), as well as newer challenges
(like climate change and globalisation). Energy is critical for
sustainable development. Sustainable energy development (SED) is an
operational framework involving the harnessing of energy resources for
human use, in a manner that supports lasting development [Munasinghe
(1995)]. We begin with a review of sustainable development itself,
before describing the key role of energy. The World Commission on
Environment and Development originally defined it as “development which
meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs”, and there have been many
subsequent redefinitions.
The Role of Academia in Capacity Building for Sustainable Energy Development: The Case of Namibia
