There are three main global energy challenges that I see in front of us: security of supply, the threat of environmental damage caused by energy production and use, and persistent energy poverty.
In the latest (2011) edition of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook (WEO) we examine the challenges that policy makers are facing as they look forward. The first two challenges – energy security and climate change – have justifiably received a great deal of attention from policy makers, although major steps are still lacking in these areas. While not losing sight of these – especially as the world economic crisis threatens to divert policy attention elsewhere – we need to focus significantly more effort on the third energy challenge.