???aural:Bildanfang???Solarstromerzeugung © PIXELIO/Rainer Sturm???aural:Bildende???

To underscore the particular importance of energy to Education for Sustainable Development, the German National Committee that was convened by the German Commission for UNESCO to implement the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development selected "energy" as the annual theme for 2009. This multifaceted theme encompasses a wide spectrum of sustainable development areas, such as renewable energies, climate change or renewable raw materials.

Energy requirements differ greatly throughout the world. Less than 20 percent of humans in industrialised countries consume 70 percent of the energy used worldwide. Mankind's energy needs are constantly increasing due to the growing world population and rising standard of living in many countries. The consequences of large-scale energy consumption are becoming evident today and make disputes over alternatives inescapable. Resources are becoming scarce and conventional ways of producing energy are already resulting in tangible climatic changes. The careless use of natural resources has wide-reaching consequences for humans and the environment, as evermore common natural catastrophes or famines testify.

Rising energy prices are the daily evidence right before our eyes as to the importance of finding alternatives to conventional energy sources. Yet climate change is not the only factor. Global responsibility and sustainable development also mean ensuring food for the world’s population, a right that would appear to collide with the evermore common use of biodiesel, for instance. In this way, ecological, social and economic issues also dovetail directly in the field of energy. Raising awareness of different energy issues among all population groups is therefore required in order to be able to tackle one of the most important questions in the area of sustainable development effectively.