Leaders driving the green agenda are being urged to step up their efforts to get the public "on board" with the transition to renewable energy.
Engaging with consumers is crucial to global efforts to tackle climate change, experts said at an Abu Dhabi conference.
Last week almost 200 countries signed a deal to slow global warming after two weeks of negotiations at Cop26 in Glasgow.
Leaders agreed to swap the phrase “phase out” coal for “phase down” to try to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C after some countries objected to the wording.
Portugal’s deputy minister and secretary of state for energy
But speaking at a panel at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, speakers stressed the need to win public support.
They said some people are equally resistant to switch to renewable energy, which can be more expensive, and education will be key in persuading them.
Moderator John Defterios, professor of business at NYU Abu Dhabi, said governments had to get better at explaining the need to go green.
“If you asked them what happened at Cop26 the average consumer probably wouldn’t understand it,” he said.
“The average consumer who has to pay the household bills doesn’t understand the energy transition [from fossil-based fuels to carbon].”
Governments, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and others are not doing a good job of explaining there is a major shift, he added.
But the World Energy Council is working to change that, said the professor, by “humanising energy”.
That is important because consumers are key in the move to more renewables, said panelists.
“We all talk about the energy transition. But I think the trillion dollar question is how are we going to manage this transition?” said Dr Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey’s deputy minister of energy and natural resources.
___________________
Adipec 2021 - in pictures
-
Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, speaks at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference. All photos: Victor Besa / The National -
Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser of Allianz, addresses a session at Adipec. -
Paul Polman, former chief executive of Unilever and co-chair at Global Commission for Economy and Climate, attends a session at Adipec. -
Adipec participants attend a session with Paul Polman, former chief executive of Unilever and co-chair at Global Commission for Economy and Climate, holding centre stage. -
Adipec will run from November 15 to November 18 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, says oil and gas industry will have to invest more than $600bn annually until 2030 to keep up with expected demand. -
Adipec 2021 is the first major global event after Cop26, which concluded on Sunday. -
Adipec is said to be a critical bellwether for the fortunes of the energy industry in the middle of great change. -
Dr Fatih Birol, left, executive director of International Energy Agency, and John Defterios, Professor of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi attend an Adipec session. -
This year's event is taking place after the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain all committed to achieving a net-zero future by the middle of the century. -
Alfred Stern, chief executive of OMV, attends a panel discussion on 'What is the New Normal for Demand?' -
Yousef Gamal El Din, anchor of Bloomberg, and Russell Hardy, chief executive at Vitol, during a session on 'Trading Spotlight: The Diversification of Energy Markets'. -
Nicolas Terraz, of TotalEnergies, attends Adipec session on 'What is the New Normal for Demand?' -
Yaser Al Mazrouei, executive director of Upstream Directorate at Adnoc, attends the Adipec session on 'What is the New Normal for Demand?' -
Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and chief executive of Baker and Hughes, during the Adipec session on 'What is the New Normal for Demand?' -
Mansoor Al Hamed, chief executive of Mubadala Petroleum, attends the Adipec session on 'What is the New Normal for Demand?' -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, attends the opening ceremony at the 37th Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition. Photo: @HHMansour via Twitter -
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed and Dr Sultan Al Jaber take in the atmosphere at the 37th Adipec. Photo: @HHMansour via Twitter
___________________
“We need to talk smart. [We need to be] inclusive. And we need to engage with citizens.
“Let me give you an example from Turkey. We introduced, almost two years ago, a green tariff. We said to consumers, if you would like to switch your tariff from regular mix to only green, of course you have to pay a little bit of a premium.
“And guess what, the switching rate was extremely low, negligible. People don’t want to pay. So humanising energy and to include citizens and consumers into this important.”
Fellow panellist Joao Galamba, Portugal’s deputy minister and secretary of state for energy, agreed bringing consumers on board was crucial.
“For the simple reason you will never do it without consumers. So you need them on board. You need a good story to tell,” he said.
“In Portugal we have a good story to tell. There is a clear economic advantage. There is a clear advantage in terms of costs.
“This is entirely true of the power sector. It might not be true in airline travel.”
The UAE is set to be at the forefront of the climate change conversation for the coming years after clinching host status for Cop28 in 2023.
The Emirates has pledged to hit net zero emissions by 2050 as part of a wide-ranging strategy aimed at protecting the environment.
Cop26 - in pictures
-
Espen Barth Eide – Norway. Getty Images -
Dr Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya – Rwanda. Rwanda Green Fund / Flickr -
Aminath Shauna – Maldives. Getty Images -
Dan Jorgensen – Denmark. Getty Images -
Yasmine Fouad – Egypt. AFP
