50 ENERGY
ENERGIES 2050: TOGETHER FOR
A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE
Energy: at the forefront of our common future. Transforming
constraints into opportunities
Many changes should be implemented in
order to overcome this situation, and urgent
action is needed. The transition to be applied
must be global and combine three essential
and inextricably linked pillars, namely energy
sobriety, energy efficiency and use of
renewable energy sources. Nothing could
be worse than giving in to the apparent
fatalities. Thus, no potential failure should
even be considered. The challenges are big
but opportunities are even bigger, and all
together, we can move collectively towards a
model of development that is consistent with
the limitations of our small planet’s resources,
ensuring the welfare of all.
Stéphane POUFFARY works in the
international cooperation field since more
than 25 years. He is the Chief Executive
Officer and Founder Honorary President of
ENERGIES 2050.
As media feed us every day with new
alarming figures about the situation around
the world, it becomes clear that our
societies are facing an unprecedented crisis,
challenging us collectively on our current
development model. In this context, issues
of population growth, urbanization, depletion
of natural resources, societal wellness,
climate change, poverty eradication, etc.,
take on a new dimension. At the heart of
these challenges, the need for rethinking
our current energy system can no longer be
ignored. Our consumption and production
models, based on an unbridled energy
consumption and relying mainly on fossil
fuels, are responsible for a number of
economic and social imbalances as well
as environmental impacts, which only grow
stronger with the increasing energy demand
It is with this vision that ENERGIES 2050 was
created and to this end that our team is working
every day, in France and in over fifty countries,
in order to build together a sustainable future.
An informal network since 2007 and later an
international non-governmental and non-profit
organization since 2011, ENERGIES 2050
is committed to demonstrate that our wrong
trajectories of development can be fixed.
The Great Transition concept is at the heart of
ENERGIES 2050’s activities. Great Transition
means a shift towards a more humane,
plural and united society, bringing peace and
respecting the common goods of humanity.
ENERGIES 2050’s activities are organized
around five complementary pillars:
• Implementation of demonstrative and
replicable projects, accompanied by technical
studies and research in order to provide an
evidence base for innovative approaches;
• Organizing and participating in workshops,
round tables and conferences, to maximize
opportunities for debate and experience-sharing;
• Publishing research and project results, to
bring together and share knowledge;
• Education, training and capacity-building so
that everyone can have the information and
knowledge necessary to act;
• Communicating to a large audience in
order to inform, inspire and mobilize.
ENERGIES 2050’s actions and research
simultaneously take place at local level –
as the anchorage point for implementing
and testing new approaches – and global
level, since the idea is to share and spread
successful experiences while learning from
mistakes.
2015 is an important year in our collective
history, especially with the adoption
of the Post-2015 Agenda and the
Sustainable Development Goals, also
with the international climate agreement
that must be adopted in Paris in the
end of the year during COP21, the 21st
Conference of the Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change. In this context, ENERGIES 2050
wants to be a source of inspiration and has
therefore initiated, or is involved in, several
international initiatives where energy is a
cornerstone, including:
- The Francophonie’s Initiative for
Sustainable Cities, cofounded by
ENERGIES 2050 and the Institut de la
Francophonie pour le Développement
Durable (IFDD, subsidiary organ of
the Organisation Internationale de la
Francophonie, which gathers 80 states and
governments). The Initiative aims to provide
cities with a range of solutions that they can
apply and adapt according to their priorities
and context, as part of a systemic approach
and long-term vision. As an example of
concrete action, a module “Training on
the challenges of energy transition for
professionals of the construction and
building sector and urban planning” is
being delivered since 2011 throughout 14
African countries in partnership with the
African School of Architecture and Urban
Professions (EAMAU).
- ethiCarbon®, a global carbon initiative
created by ENERGIES 2050, provides a
comprehensive and ethical approach to
reducing GHG emissions through carbon
offset projects that are combined with social
solidarity and development activities aiming
to engage everyone in a long term vision.
The ethiCarbon® initiative is designed for
all types of stakeholders willing to limit their