Summary and video of the conference ‘Tackling the twin energy and climate crises’ with Fatih Birol – April 5

On Wednesday April 5, Dr. Faith Birol Executive Director of the International Energy Agency spoke about the twin energy and climate crises. This conference was organised in the framework of the European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition. 

Prof. Marc Ringel, Chairholder of the European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition moderated the event and Dean of the School of Public Affairs Philippe Martin opened the conference with welcome and introduction remarks.

Dr. Birol spoke about the question of energy security and the implications of Europe’s dependance from Russian oil and gas in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He talked about the measures taken since the start of the war in order to significantly cut demand from Russian energy exports and what this means for this country’s geopolitical position. Moreover, Dr. Birol emphasised the significant escalation in clean energy, including solar, heat pumps or wind, in the past year. About this, he warned against reliance on a single actor and pointed out to China as the main producer of several critical minerals that are needed to produce a large part of renewable energy. He gave the example of solar panels, out of which 80% are produced in China and depend heavily on a reduced number of companies. Finally, he spoke about the need to promote diversification and the role of the Inflation Reduction Act in the US and similar pieces of legislation that offer incentives to go in the direction of diversification. These years, he concluded, will be critical for the development of renewable energy globally.

The conference is available on Sciences Po Youtube channel. Video below: