World Energy Outlook 2007

■ Conserving energy: Conservation refers to going without or using less of an
energy service, and therefore saving on the energy that would be needed to
provide it. Examples include switching off the light when leaving a room or
walking and cycling instead of driving. When fossil fuels are used to provide
the service, directly or indirectly, conserving energy lowers emissions.
■ Switching to less carbon-intensive fossil fuels: Coal emits almost 75% more
carbon per unit of energy contained in the fuel than natural gas and about
one-third more than oil. So switching from coal to oil or gas and from oil to
gas reduces emissions per unit of energy consumed.
■ Switching to “zero-carbon” energy sources: Renewable energy sources,
produced in a sustainable manner, and nuclear power produce no CO 2
emissions in operation, even though the construction of the plant and the
production and processing of fuel can be a source of emissions.
■ Capturing and storing CO 2
emissions: Technology already exists to capture
and store the CO 2
emitted when fossil fuels are burned, either before or after
combustion. The CO 2
can be stored in geological formations such as
depleted oil and gas fields, unmineable coal beds, salt cavities or saline
aquifers.
All these approaches to reducing emissions can also contribute to energy
security, insofar as they lead to less reliance on imported energy that may be
vulnerable to disruption or to more supply diversity. For example, improving
the efficiency of cars by cutting fuel consumption reduces emissions and the
need to import oil. But, in some cases, there are trade-offs: switching from coal
to gas in power generation will cut emissions but may increase reliance on
imported gas. Likewise, encouraging the development of indigenous
hydrocarbons might cut imports but, by contributing to higher global oil
supply (albeit marginally), could lead to lower prices and increased overall
consumption, thereby driving up emissions. Coal-to-liquids, which is under
development in China, would also reduce imports, but would drive up
emissions (see Spotlight in Chapter 11). Nonetheless, many of the policies and
measures that governments have adopted or plan to adopt do fall into the
category of “win-win”.
Policies that aim to prevent or respond to short-term supply emergencies have
little direct impact on greenhouse-gas emissions but are essential to energy
security. Emergency-response mechanisms form a central pillar of IEA
countries’ short-term energy-security policies (see Box 4.1 in Chapter 4).
Deepening the political dialogue with producing countries through
multilateral and bilateral channels can also help to address short-term concerns
over supply security. To the extent that such dialogue helps pave the way for
investment in export infrastructure in producing countries, long-term
security would be enhanced too, though any resulting increase in supply
would, of course, have consequences for greenhouse-gas emissions.
6
Chapter 6 - Energy Policy Ramifications 227