The International Energy Agency has repeated its call for fossil fuel subsidies to be scrapped in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.
International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven described the need to rapidly transition to a more secure, sustainable global energy system as being “more urgent than ever” at the 18th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 18) in Doha.
The risks have increased exponentially after news that not only is the reining in emissions to a point where average global temperature would not rise more than 2C is highly unlikely, but that the world seems set to experience a 4C – 6C increase by the end of the century – a very unsettling prospect.
If 2C represents the threshold of extremely dangerous climate change, the mind boggles at the effects of what a 4C – 6C rise will have.
Carbon dioxide emissions look set to reach 36 billion tonnes this year, which is 58% above 1990 levels.
“..the IEA strongly encourages all governments to enact policies that promote the rapid deployment of energy-efficiency technologies; this would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and buy time to secure a much-needed global climate agreement,” said Ms. van der Hoeven.
“Measures that encourage inefficient use of energy, such as fossil fuel subsidies, must be eliminated.”
Acknowledging that even a 2C rise would see Mother Nature giving mankind a substantial slap, Ms. van der Hoeven flagged adaptation efforts were becoming increasingly important in order to shore up energy security.
“..all countries must be ready to respond to the climate threat against their energy supply-and-demand infrastructure without giving up on mitigation efforts.”
Preparing for the worst while working towards and hoping for the best appears to now be the reality – and the turbulent future will occur much earlier than many believed. With severe weather events often meaning blackouts; rooftop solar panel arrays combined with home energy storage systems may increasingly appear on household wish-lists.
