Everything Energy

It has been a tumultuous year for the global energy system. The Covid-19 crisis has caused more disruption than any other event in recent history, leaving scars that will last for years to come. But whether this upheaval ultimately helps or hinders efforts to accelerate clean energy transitions and reach international energy and climate goals will depend on how governments respond to today’s challenges. The World Energy Outlook 2020, the International Energy Agency’s flagship publication, focuses on the pivotal period of the next 10 years, exploring different pathways out of the crisis. Our guests in this episode of the podcast are lead co-authors of the publication, Tim Gould and Laura Cozzi. They share with us the key messages of this new analysis. To see the chart that Jad refers to towards the end of the episode, follow this link: https://twitter.com/IEABirol/status/1315865397594394624

In the episode we chat to Ali Al-Saffar, Middle East and Africa Programme Manager at the International Energy Agency about recent work by the IEA on Iraq, as well as the main challenges facing the country as it seeks to reform its energy sector. We recorded this episode following the Iraq Ministerial roundtable discussion hosted by the IEA on 23 July 2020.

In this episode of Everything Energy, Laura Cozzi, Chief Energy Modeller at the IEA returns to the show to discuss the latest analysis from the World Energy Outlook series, Sustainable Recovery - which sets out an energy sector roadmap for governments - to spur economic growth, create millions of jobs, and put global emissions into structural decline, as the world moves through the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Laura takes us through the key elements of the analysis which was undertaken in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund.

In this episode of the podcast we chat with Tim Gould, Head of Division for Energy Supply Outlooks and Investment at the IEA about the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on investment across the energy sector, including oil, gas, coal and power. We also look at the effect of the crisis on investment in renewables and what is needed to stay on track towards clean energy transitions.

In Episode #3 of Everything Energy we talk to Brian Motherway, Head of Energy Efficiency at the IEA, about the importance of the integration of efficiency into government policy around the world and its vital link to transitions to cleaner energy. Brian also talks us through some of the challenges facing efficiency, and the role it can play in helping economies bounce back from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this episode we talk to Neil Atkinson, Head of Oil Industry and Markets Division at the IEA, as he reflects on the collapse of oil markets through March, April and May 2020, following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mobility of citizens worldwide. Neil also shares his insights on the change of mood in May, and the repercussions for oil markets as some countries begin to emerge from various states of lockdown. He also gives us a glimpse at the forecast for the rest of the year, and 2021.

The Covid-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis. But by imposing lockdown measures and widely restricting travel and mobility, governments have also halted much of their own economic activities. The pandemic also represents the biggest shock to the global energy system in over 70 years, set to dwarf the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. In the first episode of Everything Energy we chat to Laura Cozzi, the IEA's Chief Energy Modeller, to unpack what this means for demand and consumption across a number of major fuels, as well as CO2 emissions for the rest of the year.