World Energy Council Issues A New Report on Sidelines of Doha (COP18/CMP8)

Doha, December 01 (QNA) -The World Energy Council has published the report World Energy Trilemma 2012: Time to get real the case for sustainable energy policy. This came in a press conference the WEC held in Doha on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th Doha Climate Change Conference(COP18/CMP8) which kicked off earlier Monday with the participation of 194 countries. The Conference is attended by more than 17,000 , of whom 7,000 members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the 1500 journalists. It is covered by 90 TV stations. This is the first time for a Middle Eastern country, the State of Qatar, to host an international conference of this size and importance. The 2012 report is the start of a two-part series of reports which will inform the WEC s policy dialogue activities. Based on interviews with more than 40 industry CEOs and senior executives from across the global energy sector, this edition aims to provide policymakers with the energy industry s views on what is needed from policies in order to meet the challenges of the Energy Trilemma: energy security, social equity and environmental impact mitigation. The global energy trilemma, have been highlighted by the WEC in previous reports and at previous high-level meetings the London-based group has held around the world. In addition to the rankings of countries along the three trilemma criteria, the World Energy Council sought out input from dozens of the world's top energy industry executives about what they needed from governments to solve the problems of underinvestment, energy insecurity, lack of access and insufficient adoption of sustainability practices. The report also includes the 2012 Energy Sustainability Index, a global ranking of 93 WEC member countries based on their performance on the three aspects of the energy trilemma. The Index provides policymakers and those making investment decisions with a key tool to assess the sustainability of a country's energy system. Based upon the 22nd Survey of Energy Resources, this report provides a fact-based and forward-looking contribution to the on-going discussion about shale gas as a potentially strategic energy resource. This report outlines the energy-related challenges that cities, particularly large and 'mega-cities', will face during the coming decades. It analyses the technical and policy actions that must be taken to meet these challenges and the role the energy industry and business can play in designing and implementing efficient solutions. The WEC told reporters at the Doha (COP18/CMP8) that 80% of the energy sources used in the world at present is fossil energy, and said its share in the global energy is expected to decrease in energy mix to 60% in 2035, calling meantime for investment in other energy sources and the adoption of sophisticated technology to mitigate the effects of fossil fuels and this would be so in the long term. The World Energy Council while viewing the fossil fuels as the most important data its new report, the demand for energy around the world will rise from current levels by 30% until 2050, noting that 1.3 billion people around the world have no access to energy supplies while needs moreone billion to clean energy for cooking, pointing to the need for the world to invest $ 1.5 Trillion by 2025 to maintain current levels of energy. The Index reveals that: Environmental impact mitigation remains a universal problem; Providing high-quality and affordable energy access remains a significant challenge for developing and emerging economies; and countries at various stages of development struggle with energy security. For the first time this year, the Energy Sustainability Index comes with a set of country and regional performance profiles. Now in its third annual edition, the Index captures and aggregates country-level data to outline the relative energy performances and contextual attributes of the WEC s member countries. Its global findings show: Environmental impact mitigation remains a universal problem. In general, as countries GDP per capita increases they also rise up in the Index s measures of environmental impact mitigation. Countries are likely to successfully mitigate CO2 emissions and to improve air and water quality if they low-carbon energy resources, said the WEC report. For developing and many emerging economies, providing high-quality and affordable energy access remains a significant challenge. The main challenge identified is that scarce financial resources on the demand and supply sides limit the functioning of markets and the ability to attract energy investments. Countries at various stages of development struggle with energy security. Developing and emerging economies primarily struggle with energy security due to their strong consumption growth. Some developed countries, on the other hand, struggle to expand domestic production of energy to meet growing consumption. However, countries with higher GDP per capita tend to have a more secure energy supply with the top 10 performers in the Index all ranking high in energy security, enabled by political will, strong institutional frameworks, and the necessary finances. The World Energy Council (WEC) is the principal impartial network of leaders and practitioners promoting an affordable, stable and environmentally sensitive energy system for the greatest benefit of all. Formed in 1923, WEC is the UN-accredited global energy body, representing the entire energy spectrum, with more than 3000 member organisations located in over 90 countries and drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia, NGOs and energy related stakeholders. (QNA)