ABSTRACT
In the developed world, and increasingly in the developing world, the exploitation of energy resources has become an essential part of modern society, which has brought with it a number of environmental problems and dilemmas, some of which now pose potentially grave risks to the world. This industry encompasses a range of businesses involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. It comprises the petroleum industry, including oil companies; the gas industry; the electrical power industry; the coal industry; the nuclear power industry; and the renewable energy industry. By its very nature, the industry will be central to the outcomes regarding some of the SDGs, notably SDG7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG13 (climate action). However, given the urgency and scale at which the energy industry must change if the world’s sustainable development and climate goals are to be met, it is critical that the industry understands its potential impacts – both positive and negative – on all of the SDGs and adopts appropriate measures to support radical change in the industry and society as a whole.
