15 October 2013: The World Energy Council (WEC) has released a ten-point action plan and detailed guide to creating a framework to help governments, industry and key decision makers to address the inter-related challenges of energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability.

Conducted in cooperation with the global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, ‘World Energy Trilemma: Time to Get Real – The Agenda for Change’ is the culmination of a two-year study drawing from interviews with over 100 energy leaders in 41 countries on the challenges and opportunities for advancing sustainable energy systems.

The report finds that cost breakthroughs in some renewable energy technologies, increases in energy efficiency, and the discovery of shale gas in over 40 countries offer significant potential to: meet growing energy demand; extend electricity to 1.2 billion people; and upgrade aging infrastructure in an environmentally responsible manner.

Speaking at the launch of the report at the World Energy Council in Daegu, Republic of Korea, Joan MacNaughton, Executive Chair of the WEC’s World Energy Trilemma Studies, explained that the study “provides the basis for countries to assess their political and institutional risk,” and “describes how they can mitigate such risk and unlock the investment to deliver the required energy infrastructure.”

Also commenting on the launch of the report, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), underlined that the Trilemma report demonstrates that a sustainable energy future is possible and called on governments to “look closely at the report and act on its conclusions, which will strengthen the outcome of the 2015 global climate agreement and raise immediate ambition to curb greenhouse gases (GHG).”

Specific recommendations in the WEC’s ten-point Agenda for Change include: connecting the energy trilemma to the broader national agenda; providing leadership to build national and global consensus; improving policy maker dialogue; driving green trade liberalization; and encouraging joint pre-commercial initiatives.

The report follows WEC’s September 2013 release of the Energy Sustainability Index and the ‘World Energy Trilemma: Time to Get Real – The Case for Sustainable Energy Investment,’ a report highlighting the needs and views of key public stakeholders.

Founded in 1923, WEC is the UN-accredited global energy body, with over 3000 member organizations located in over 90 countries and drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia, NGOs and energy-related stakeholders. [World Energy Congress Press Release] [Publication: World Energy Trilemma: Time to Get Real – The Agenda for Change] [Publication: World Energy Trilemma: Time to Get Real – The Case for Sustainable Energy Investment]