22 March 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a document titled “Worldwide Engagement for Sustainable Energy Strategies,” detailing the IEA’s role in the global energy industry over time.

It notes that, in contrast to its founding mission to secure access to reliable and ample supplies of oil and establish and maintain effective emergency response capabilities, the IEA today understands energy security as: securing reliable access to all forms of energy, including oil, natural gas, electricity, coal, nuclear energy and renewables; protecting the environment, with a particular focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and sustainably developing countries’ economies.

The document then presents IEA’s role in building a cleaner, more efficient energy systems in the the future. It stresses that, with energy challenges becoming more transboundary in nature, collaboration with non-IEA member countries via implementing agreements, joint workshops, conferences and other coordinated projects, and training programmes and seminars is a necessity. [Publication: Worldwide Engagement for Sustainable Energy Strategies]