A judicious use of energy is a fundamental factor to achieve sustainable development. The limited character of energetic fossil resources and the pollution generated by burning fossil fuels for electricity production generate the need to replace them with other sources of energy. Despite the fact that fossil fuels would continue to play a prevailing role in the energy supply for decades to come, renewable energy resources have the potential of contributing to the increasing global energy demands, while simultaneously emerge the most efficient solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in the world. In this framework, the main scope of the present study is to provide an analysis of the current state of world natural resources used to produce energy and energy consumption degree across different regions of the world. At the same time, this paper aims to compare the environmental impacts in water, air, soil and ecosystem produced by a range of conventional and renewable energy sources, which is necessary to be reduced for building a genuine low-carbon society.