By Ejekwu Chidiebere
(Publisher)
- First, it reasserts as well as reinforces the power, potential and the pivotal role the world energy trilemma will exact in the shifting energy currents that now define the energy transition landscape
The World Energy Issues Monitor – “World Energy Transitions in Motion” of the World Energy Council has in its recent annual publication provided a new map for navigating the current energy systems challenges globally, having taken into cognizance the “ambitious, large-scale” systems change processes involved in energy transitions, in addition to the deeply human impacts these have on lives and livelihoods around the world.
Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General & CEO of the World Energy Council, said: “We only need to look at the past few weeks to see how volatile and fractured the world energy LEADERSHIP landscape has become. In the last fortnight alone, the EU Clean Industrial Deal reinforced the need for swift decarbonisation measures, and while the U.S. actively withdrew from climate efforts, Chile declared emergency after major power outages. Geopolitical tides are turning, Mother Nature is shuffling a planetary deck of cards and many and new ways of collaborating are essential if we are to secure more energy for sustainable development – billions of lives and a healthy planet.”
The World Energy Trilemma sits, according to an email statement to Energy Window International from one of the Council’s sources, at the heart of this new map. It provides, according to the statement, the most relevant framework to make sense of this increasingly, very complex geopolitical currents within which energy transitions are unfolding. “In today’s increasingly polarized and fractured energy transitions landscape” the statement says, “balancing energy security, affordability and environmental sustainability is more critical than ever before.”
“This year’s World Energy Issues Monitor explores,” says Dr Angela, “these complexities. We identify big energy blind spots and highlight the implications of differing and shifting regional priorities. Our members are already using these new insights to convene better quality conversations and to catalyze and sustain more effective collaborative actions,” Wilkinson said.
“In the 15th year of the World Energy Issues Monitor, and at a time when priorities around the world are at odds and the risks of disorderly energy transitions, deepening siloes and impeding solutions are ever-present, the new report explores,” in the words of the publishers, “how shifting tides will continue as long as the global energy policy landscape remains in flux.”
The report promptly highlighted the energy trilemma to include, security, affordability, and sustainability – the three which serve as guiding stars to navigating the hitherto increasingly complex energy reality.
The Bright spots which provides, basically, proves that local leadership and innovation can create powerful and outstanding result, even when there are seeming divergences and fragmentations in the global consensus. Countries like Brazil, China, and Saudi Arabia are known to represent such proves.
Fragile “Me-First” Policies is next which also serves as key risks. Many governments according to the report, resort to self-preservation – securing domestic energy supply and imposing tariffs – exacerbating price fluctuations that ripple across regions.
Social license and circular economy are blind spots that deserve more urgent attention. Community pushback and a lack of resource cycling can stall transitions just as effectively as high commodity prices can.
Amidst external volatility, the report provides that engaging a more human-centric approach to the energy transitions underway will help ensure that the “future of energy is not just about what powers our systems, rather about who they empower and how we harness human collective wisdom to shape new and better energy futures for billions of lives and a healthy planet.”