Civil society, businesses and government all have an important role to play in securing sustainable energy supplies for the future, participants in a recent Friends of Europe's discussion heard. This evening debate, held on July 12 2011 in the European parliament, brought together private companies, politicians, business representatives, NGOs and academics to examine the latest Royal Dutch Shell energy scenario report. The 'Signals and Signposts' study updates Shell's 2050 energy vision, warning that "global demand for energy would triple from 2000 levels if emerging economies followed historical paths of development". The discussion focused on the impact of political and economic change on the energy market, and on the importance of adapting to environmental challenges in developing energy policies able to meet rising demand.

 

Indeed, Jeremy Bentham, Vice President Global Business Environment of Shell International, used his presentation to highlight the "zone of uncertainty" in which the pace of growth of energy supplies falls short of increased demand in the coming decades. He argued that population growth and increased prosperity in the developing world would inevitably impact energy markets, and called on policymakers to set a regulatory framework that would encourage investment in an uncertain economic climate. Event host and European Parliament Vice-President Alejo Vidal- Quadras, also spoke of the need to create a regulatory environment in which investors would feel comfortable, while Peter Voser, the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, said it was important to act now and anticipate the right energy mix for the long term. Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy, said it would only be possible to secure future supplies by developing new partnerships and interactions – both between public and private institutions and between various levels of government within Europe. Markets need predictable returns but governments need predictable outcomes. Equally some energy decisions should be taken at a national level but it makes sense for others to be taken at European level. So we need partnerships between business and government and between the EU and its Member States.

 

The Fukushima nuclear disaster and Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power by the start of the next decade were among the other issues in focus, with Nobuo Tanaka, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warning that the move could increase Europe's dependence on gas supplies from Russia. He was joined on the panel by Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Waldemar Pawlak, who was representing the EU council presidency, and Johannes Meier, Chief Executive Officer of the European Climate Foundation (ECF), who said it was particularly important to set milestones to help Europe become a world leader on energy and the environment. The debate was chaired by Friends of Europe Secretary General Giles Merritt.