International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said the world is “locking itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system,” and that, regardless of the existence of a comprehensive climate deal, countries must act now on improving energy security sustainably.
6 December 2011: International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven spoke at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa, where she stressed that countries are not doing enough to avert climate change.
She highlighted that the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2011 concluded that the world is “locking itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system,” and said that regardless of the existence of a comprehensive climate deal, countries must act now on improving energy security sustainably. She suggested that countries could use standards on energy-using equipment, cost-effective renewables deployment measures, and a price on carbon to begin progressing on sustainable energy security. She closed by noting that, although focus has long been on how energy can affect the climate, we must now begin researching how climate change will affect energy systems and energy security. [IEA Press Release] [Video of IEA press conference at COP 17]