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Sustainable Development — English Bac Éco

This theme feeds the Reading and Writing sections of the Bac Éco English paper (coefficient 2), where a precise word field makes an answer stronger. Solar panels in the Moroccan desert, waste sorting, cutting the carbon footprint: Sustainable Development is where English environmental vocabulary meets the science content many candidates already study.

Relu par Équipe Orka · 30 août 2026

Dans le programme du Bac Éco

English has a coefficient of 2 in the Bac Sciences Économiques stream, the same weight as Philosophy and Law. It sits behind the professional subjects (General Economics and Accounting, coefficient 6; Business Organisation, coefficient 3; Applied Mathematics, coefficient 4). The stream's grounding in institutions and collective behaviour makes the English themes on citizenship, organisations and development familiar ground.

À l'épreuve

Three parts: Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing (about 180 words). Economics candidates are used to analysing collective phenomena and institutions, which helps on essay prompts about international organisations, brain drain or sustainable development — provided the answer stays in plain English, not economics jargon.

Objectifs d'apprentissage

  • Reuse this vocabulary field in the Bac Éco Reading answers and in the argumentative essay (coefficient 2)
  • Use energy and climate vocabulary: renewable / fossil energy, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, global warming
  • Name environmental issues: pollution, deforestation, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, waste
  • Define sustainability: meeting present needs without compromising future generations
  • Argue how economic development and environmental protection can be reconciled

Notions clés

Energy and carbon footprint

renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro) vs fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas); carbon footprint (the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, product or activity); to reduce / offset emissions.

Environmental issues

air and water pollution, deforestation, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, plastic waste, soil degradation — the problems sustainable development aims to address.

Sustainability: economy and environment together

sustainable development = development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It seeks a balance between economic growth, social fairness and environmental protection.

Erreurs fréquentes

1

Confusing renewable (naturally replenished: sun, wind) and non-polluting: nuclear power is low-carbon but not renewable; biomass is renewable but can pollute.

2

Using pollution as a countable noun: say “air pollution” / “levels of pollution”, not “pollutions”.

3

Treating sustainable development as “stopping all development”: it is about developing differently, not stopping.

Exemple corrigé

Énoncé

Write a sentence explaining how a country can pursue economic growth while lowering its carbon footprint.

Correction

Name the tension. Growth usually means more energy use; a lower carbon footprint means fewer emissions.
Give the reconciling idea. Shifting energy sources from fossil fuels to renewables allows both at once.
Result. “A country can keep growing economically while cutting its carbon footprint by investing massively in renewable energy, so that new industries and homes are powered by solar and wind rather than by coal and oil.”

Le cours, puis l'entraînement.

Orka génère des exercices illimités et des examens blancs corrigés sur tout le programme de Anglais du Bac Éco, avec un suivi de ta progression chapitre par chapitre.

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3 exercices pour t'entraîner

Exercice 1

Easy
Classify as renewable or fossil: solar, coal, wind, oil.
Voir la correction
Renewable: solar, wind. Fossil: coal, oil.

Exercice 2

Medium
Complete: “Cycling to school instead of being driven reduces your ___.” (carbon footprint / biodiversity / deforestation)
Voir la correction
carbon footprint — cycling produces no emissions, so it lowers the greenhouse gases you are responsible for.

Exercice 3

Hard
Explain in one sentence why the definition of sustainable development refers to “future generations”.
Voir la correction
Because sustainability is about fairness over time: using resources and polluting today at a rate that leaves future generations unable to meet their own needs would not be development, but a transfer of the cost onto people who cannot object.

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Questions fréquentes

How does this theme connect to the science subjects?

Energy sources, greenhouse gases and pollution are studied in physics-chemistry and life-and-earth science; this chapter gives candidates the English vocabulary to bring that knowledge into an essay with concrete, credible examples.

Is Morocco a good example for this theme?

Yes — the Noor solar complex near Ouarzazate, wind farms, and water-scarcity policy are specific, current Moroccan examples that make an essay stronger than generic ones.

What are the three pillars of sustainable development?

Economic (growth and jobs), social (fairness, health, education) and environmental (protecting resources and ecosystems) — a good answer keeps all three in view rather than only the environment.

How do I fit English revision around the economics and accounting subjects?

A short weekly session: one chapter (rule or word list, two examples), then a short paragraph. Focus especially on the society themes — citizenship, international organisations, development — which are close to your other subjects, and keep a model introduction and conclusion ready. A mark above your average is within reach.

How do I use this theme in the Bac Éco essay without sounding generic?

Anchor each key term in one concrete, personal example — a place, a person, a situation you know. A specific illustration in accurate English scores better than a long list of terms with no support, on any of the society prompts in the programme.