Deciding the Future: Energy Policy Scenarios to 2050

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Deciding the Future: Energy Policy Scenarios to 2050 World Energy Council 2007 Recommendations
A new level of wise energy policy, energy regulation, and energy
investment is required now and in the next few years if we are to
achieve energy sustainability in the 2035-2050 timeframe.
obvious that a new level of wise energy policy,
energy regulation, and energy investment is
required now and in the next few years if we are
to achieve energy sustainability in the 2035-
2050 timeframe.
There is a critical need for unprecedented levels
of cooperation and integration in both the private
and public sectors if GDP growth is to continue,
sustainable energy supply and end-use systems
are to be achieved for the benefit of mankind,
and anthropogenic climate change is to be
mitigated. Public–private partnerships must
become even more important than they are
today.
These levels of cooperation are also essential if
global energy intensity (E/GDP) is to continue to
decline, but it will take some time (at least to the
very end of the period) for overall energy
demand to stabilise. The goal of having more
rather than fewer energy primary sources and
conversion options available is in fact achievable
in the shorter term. The result is that the energy
mix will continue to diversify.
Perhaps surprisingly, careful government
regulation is desired by the private sector to
ensure attractiveness and fair competition for
energy industries and services, and rules of
trade across national borders and globally are
also supported by the private sector. However,
consistent long-term signals also need to be
sent, lest investments focus only on the short to
medium-term.
While the level of public awareness has
increased as the security of energy supplies and
climate change attract attention, it needs to be
markedly increased even further. People cannot
make informed decisions without adequate
information offered in plain language. Concerted
public–private efforts need to be made to
increase the public’s awareness of the issues
involved with energy security and sustainability.
In terms of differences between regions, Europe
is generally more optimistic about its ability to
decrease energy intensity than others, but it
worries about the security of supply. Africa
believes it will take longer to decrease energy
intensity (already the highest) and expand its
energy mix than other regions, owing to its
position of using significantly less energy per
capita than others today. Asia and Africa both
see continued use of coal until late in the time
period. Africa and Latin America see serious
dilemmas surrounding Acceptability in the face
of low levels of Accessibility. North America
sees Acceptability as the largest issue in this
region with the exception of Mexico, where
Accessibility is still a major problem.
Policy actions to deal with this situation are:
Strong and consistent long-term
signals about energy goals and
policies. These signals should be
designed on two principles: that all
energy options are on the table, the
choice depending on individual country
resources and regional market
integration, and that it is possible to
achieve a doubling of global energy
supplies and continued economic growth
in harmony with a low carbon society.