Press Release 14 September 2010

World Energy Council roadmap
towards a global sustainable development

To contribute effectively to global sustainable development, the stakeholders of the energy sector share the goal of improving standards of living and quality of environment. They address climate challenges by managing the complexity and uncertainties of environmental factors; they assess the potential impact of policies on the everyday life of people; they are strongly committed to responding to energy poverty, and assuming their responsibility in managing technological risks. Taking up these vital challenges is paving the way to sustainable energy and defines the World Energy Council's roadmap ahead. To achieve these goals, the World Energy Council members are open to a transparent dialogue and to working together with all civil society stakeholders.

Addressing climate change challenges
The climate framework has been ranked as top critical uncertainty on the World Energy Council's global issues map: without a clear and long-term carbon price path, energy infrastructure investments remain critically exposed, investment decisions delayed, energy security hampered. While a global framework that defines such a carbon price path would be the most effective instrument to enhance energy security, it may be difficult to achieve; a regionalised approach that reflects a globally coherent value of carbon and that provides continued growth opportunities for developing countries is a pragmatic way forward which can enable progress at COP16 in Cancun and beyond.

Low-carbon technologies including nuclear and renewables (hydro, wind, solar, biofuels, as well as possibly emerging new technologies and also CCS) are rapidly growing and will be a substantial part of the system beyond 2030.

Improving the living of people
Overcoming energy poverty is at the heart of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve these goals, the world is on a path to an unacceptable failure. Access to modern energy services for the 1.5 billion people who today live without it, is vital. A lack of basic energy service impacts all aspects of deprived people's lives, from healthcare to clean water, safe housing, education and the potential to earn a living. Rural communities account for 85% of energy poor areas.

Managing the energy transition to 2030/2050
Effective policies for long-term investments as well as technology options are essential to support a sustainable energy future (see the 2010 Country Energy & Climate Policies Assessment).

At the very centre of the transition is a need for financing (over 20 trillion $ by 2030), clear policies and stable regulatory frameworks.

www.worldenergy.org
Effective national policies that benefit from international convergence and linkage through international frameworks, regional infrastructure interconnection, urban innovation, more smart mobility and energy efficiency are key parametres to manage the energy transition.

Conventional and non-conventional fossil fuels will continue to dominate energy supply for the decades to come. A number of major economies will continue to substantially rely on coal. Opportunities in deep-water pre-salt, in oil sands, shale gas or oil shale are vast.

The majority of conventional and new forms of energy consume water. As a consequence, critically water exposed energy infrastructure elements have to be planned and operated strategically.

Managing risk responsibly: a global and all-energies priority
Last but not least, accidents can happen in many places in spite of a great safety culture. Sharing successful practices and peer review within and across segments benefits all actors of the energy sector, with regards to accident prevention, intervention and communication.

Disaster response and infrastructure reconstruction have been the founding cause of the World Energy Council. Solidarity and need for action on regional and global level require and benefit from the existence of networks for coordination - such as the World Energy Council's.

The energy world needs a globally understood map for new risks and critical uncertainties. World Energy Council pioneers in the first open-source scenarios to establish linkages between and quantify critical uncertainties, risks and energy system aspects. This scenario exercise is crucial, as it will also contribute to tailor strategies, which shall help us to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

WEC Media Contact:
Theresa Hedberg
Manager, Media & Communications
Email: hedberg@worldenergy.org