IEA calls for policy, technology action to reverse CO2 trend

London (Platts)--14Nov2006

The Paris-based International Energy Agency Tuesday urged ministers
attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, to "bridge the
gap between our present energy structure and policies" with "policies and
technologies that will empower a different energy future."
IEA Executive Director Claude Mandil said in a statement: "With current
policies, our energy future is insecure and environmentally unsustainable." He
referred to the IEA's recent World Energy Outlook 2006, saying the study
showed that policies could still make a difference, but that "delaying the
implementation of action by even a decade" would jeopardise global energy
security and "has unacceptable implications for emissions."
Mandil said that the latest IEA statistics on CO2 emissions from the
energy sector showed the world "departing further" from a secure future. CO2
emissions grew by 1.2 billion metric tons between 2003 and 2004, with coal
accounting for 60% of the increase, he said, warning that "at 26.6 billion
tons, global CO2 emissions are now 28% above 1990 levels."
Mitigation efforts must include changes in the way energy is used, as
fuel combustion accounts for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, he said. He
noted that though in recent years Asia especially has witnessed rapid growth
in energy use and emissions, driven by its fast-paced economic development,
the per capita emissions of industrialized countries remained much higher.
IEA analysis showed that there were policies and technologies that could
reverse the trend. "In electric lighting alone, which uses 19% of global
electricity production, IEA analysis concludes that energy needs could be
reduced by 38% if the least-cost technologies were adopted at no loss of
service to consumers," Mandil said.
He said the IEA had developed "concrete measures to bridge the gap
between energy efficiency potentials and implementation," as mandated by the
G8 at the Gleneagles summit in 2005. "We are actively researching best policy
practice to deliver energy efficiency improvements in transport, appliances,
buildings and industry, and we will report on our efforts to the next G8
summits," he said.

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