---

Energy is a key element of sustainable development, and energy resources at their current modes and rates of depletion contribute to an increasingly unsustainable world energy system. Within the global energy system, there are examples such as Denmark, where the path to renewable energy has been pursued comprehensively and steadily. This has resulted in the creation of a world-class wind turbine industry, and in a large proportion of the country´s electricity being produced sustainably - form the wind. New Zealand has also been part of the global unsustainable energy trend, however, in a political and regulatory sense, it has been very different from Denmark. Currently, New Zealand has a chance to start on a different path - the path to sustainable energy through supporting wind energy developments. In light of this recent progress, it appears that New Zealand - abundant in wind resources - may be on its way to a more sustainable energy future.

---

Yana Bosseva is an experienced town planning consultant based in London. She has worked on a wide range of projects in New Zealand and the UK. With degrees in Geography and Planning from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, she is interested in renewable energy, sustainability and social processes in cities and the countryside.

---