The New Year has brought new hopes for the environment. Consider last month’s historic agreement at COP21 in Paris, which raised the possibility of ensuring a sustainable future for mankind, as well as for our planet.
So far 188 countries have agreed to implement new climate-action plans which, ifdone according to plans, will dramatically slow the pace of global greenhouse-gas emissions. Called “nationally determined contributions”, these commitments will be reviewed and strengthened every five years, thereby steadily increasing their ambition in the long term. This is vital as there is still a gap between the commitment and the goal negotiated in Paris.
The COP21 agreement calls on an impressive group of people to ensure its success. They include national policymakers, corporate leaders, city administrations and countless other entities that need to make sure that the global temperature rise remains below 2° Celsius this century. Ideally, they must make effort to limit the temperature increase to 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels.
Individual sectors such as energy will have an important role to play. The World Energy Council, an independent and non-partisan organisation that represents more than 3,000 energy-related institutions, acknowledges that the energy sector needs to work hard to reduce its carbon footprint. After all, this sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases. This is why as chair of the organisation I am so encouraged by the focus on innovation to come out of Paris with 20 countries committing to double their research and development budgets over the next five years.
However, we cannot escape the fact that global demand for energy is increasing on the back of a growing population, increased access to modern forms of energy and greater economic growth. The World Energy Council predicts that the global energy mix will continue to depend on fossil fuel for many years to come. Yet with the right policies, the proportion of fossil fuels in the energy mix could fall from the current 79 per cent to about 59 per cent. Renewables – currently at 15 per cent – will account for between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of the mix and nuclear power, which is currently at 6 per cent, could represent 11 per cent of the global energy sources.
The world also needs to pay more attention to how it uses energy so it can reduce wastage. In other words, energy efficiency will become increasingly important. By 2050, energy efficiency gains will be significant: contribution of energy to GDP is likely to drop by about 50 per cent. But such gains would require all of us to change our habits of using energy, as well as control xpensive investments.
The first global debate on the role of energy in a post-COP world will be held in Abu Dhabi during Sustainability Week. Events such as the World Future Energy Summit will provide a platform for global energy leaders to take stock of the situation and come up with concrete ideas on how to contribute to an increasingly decarbonised world. In October, global energy leaders will meet again at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul to take the debate further and evaluate the progress on the COP21 commitment.
Looking ahead, the UAE has a key role to play. Already, it has widened its energy mix by increasing the proportion of renewable energy and introducing nuclear power. By hosting organisations such as Irena and organising events such Sustainability Week, it can also play a global role in promoting a sustainable energy future that is not at odds with its own role as an energy producer.
I look forward to returning to Abu Dhabi as fresh hopes provided by the Paris agreement lead to a new future for humanity.
Marie-Jose Nadeau is chair of the World Energy Council
