Perspectives on the Future of Energy

11 Jul 2011 – Alicia Ayars

On Tuesday, 28 June I participated as an “Energy Expert” in an online event hosted by the Economist, looking at “Transitions from West to East”. While I was (thankfully) not responsible for answering the questions, I was able to contribute to the conversation by asking questions, making comments and tweeting my opinions. The event focused on three critical issues:

1. The economic implications of rebalancing from West to East
2. The political implications of rebalancing from West to East
3. Thoughts on the future – economic and political change during a period of transition

To prepare for this, my colleague Marion and I took a look back at some of SustainAbility’s own thinking on the future of energy, the evolution of which has been increasingly captured on our blog and wider website in recent years. This resulted in the following compilation of material focusing on the three key themes discussed during the Economist session, which we thought readers might find useful.

Focus 1: The economic implications of rebalancing from West to East

• What will economic growth in the East mean for the world’s energy system over the next 40 years?
• How will energy security impact our lives?
• Can the world meet its energy needs?
• What can we expect to see happen to the real price of energy?
• Will rising energy prices force developing countries to adopt a cleaner energy approach to their economic development?

A Clear Path Forward on Energy – Behind one NGO’s strident anti-oil ad campaign lies a fairly practical vision for the future of sustainable energy.

Are We Starting to ‘Get’ the Oil Question? – Rising oil prices highlight the urgency of achieving independence from oil, and liquid transport fuels in particular.

Energy and Water on a Collision Course – Energy and water are each difficult issues in their own right, but they’re increasingly on a collision course in places like China.

Kentucky on My Mind – Externalities abound, but perhaps nowhere more so than with coal. Let’s hope decision-makers are poised to act.

Deepwater Horizon: A Great Depression for the Industry? – The oil industry should, instead of isolating one culprit, commit to addressing systemic failures that led to the spill.

Big Oil: A GLOSSary of Terms – Peeling away the gloss of oil industry terms reveals disturbing truths about the direction the industry is headed in.

Radar: The China Issue – How China’s growing role and influence on the world stage may have more to offer sustainable development than is commonly acknowledged.

Peak Oil: Why $40 Per Barrel Is No Cause for Complacency – Why peak oil still deserves attention even as global oil prices retreat due to recession.

Focus 2: The political implications of rebalancing from West to East

• Is it legitimate to expect emerging economies like India and China to adopt a cleaner energy approach than economies in the West did during their development?
• What is the likelihood of the international community agreeing a workable solution to climate change?
• How might the process of political change in North Africa and the Middle East affect the world’s energy system?
• What states or organizations should take responsibility for dealing with the political challenges that rebalancing raises for the world’s energy system?

Is Energy Independence Good Policy? – The goal of energy independence is not only impractical, but also unwise.

Op-Ed: US Energy Citizen Rallies – The long-term health of the petroleum industry requires that strong action is taken on climate change.

On Our Radar: China’s Happy Distraction – As resources and fuel supplies run dry and the economy slows down, China turns away from GDP towards greater happiness.

Navigating the looming China water/energy choke point – How government and business response to China’s water/energy choke point is critical to the world economy.

#FortuneGreen and The Future of Climate Policy – We must throw everything available at the challenge of climate change.

Focus 3: Thoughts on the future – Economic and political change during a period of transition

• What economic and political changes need to occur to ensure that the world is able to meet its long-term energy challenges?
• Are people confident that these changes will occur? What steps need to be taken to help make sure that they do? What alternatives do we have?

The Future of Energy – Sustainability experts and practitioners from 67 countries provide insight on what a sustainable low-carbon energy future could look like.

Nuclear’s Uncertain Future – It’s time for a rethink on the future of nuclear power, but the answers are far from clear.

Deepwater Horizon – The Beginning of the End, or More of the Same? – How will the Deepwater Horizon accident affect the future of the oil and gas industry?

Ventures in Energy Technology – A new energy joint venture gives a glimpse of a world beyond fossil fuels.

Tradeable Energy Quotas: Rational Action – Why energy rationing, not seen in the UK since WWII, may be exactly what’s needed to jumpstart climate action.

Hydraulic Fracturing – Have We Seen this Movie Before? – It’s increasingly impossible to not think about the future of energy.

On Our Radar: Renewables’ High-Stakes Proving Ground – Germany moves away from nuclear.

Changing Climate Will Drive Innovation – This is the year when the Davos crowd began to wake up to the real scale not only of the market risks linked to climate change but also of the commercial opportunities.

Issue Brief: Distributed Generation – Taking Control of the Power. Distributed generation (DG) – the generation of electricity and/or heating close to the point of use – is making a comeback.

Issue Brief: Fuel Cells – As a key technology for harnessing the power of hydrogen, the fuel cell has the potential to play a central role in averting climate change and improving energy security.

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