Brussels, 10/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - How many more alarming figures does the world need for it to understand that it has to move to a low-carbon economy, Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard asked on Wednesday. She uttered this cri de coeur on the publication of the World Energy Outlook 2011 by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which shows that, despite the economic crisis, the IEA expects global demand for oil to continue to rise - a 14% increase by 2035, with prices rising to $120 per barrel.
“The World Energy Outlook 2011 shows that the world is heading for a fossil fuels lock-in. This is another urgent call to move to a low-carbon economy by using the right incentives: carbon pricing, cuts in fossil fuel subsidies, more renewables and energy efficiency, and smarter ways of taxing. In Europe we have specific climate policies, binding targets both for CO2 reductions and renewables, and a price on carbon. And our results have proven wrong those who claim emissions can't be cut without sacrificing the economy”, she argued.
The message cannot be clearer to major economies like the United States and the emerging countries, which, for the moment, have not made any binding commitment on reducing their CO2 emissions by 2020. Hedegaard hopes that “the other major economies will have read this important report carefully before leaving for Durban”. (AN/transl.rt)