DIRTY, insecure and expensive. That鈥檚 the future of energy if the world does not shift towards climate-friendly policies.
In the World Energy Outlook 2006 published on Tuesday, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) maps out a future in which global energy demand in 2030 will be 10 per cent less than it would be if current trends continue. This is a radical change from the IEA鈥檚 traditional stance of unrestrained growth.
Under the IEA鈥檚 new scenario, global emissions of CO2 would be 16 per cent less by 2030 compared with business-as-usual scenarios. This will require 鈥渟trong policy action鈥� by governments, the IEA says, otherwise energy demand and CO2 emissions could both increase by more than 50 per cent by 2030, threatening 鈥渟evere and irreversible environmental damage鈥�.
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To achieve this vision, governments need to invest heavily in improving the efficiency of vehicles, buildings, appliances and industrial motors, the IEA says. It also recommends a rapid expansion in the use of nuclear power and renewable energy sources, including biofuels for vehicles.
