US to West’s energy watchdog : Scrap net zero focus or else we'll quit

Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, gave an ultimatum to the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday. The agency had one year to abandon its support for goals to reduce energy emissions to zero net or else risk losing membership.

At the biennial meeting of the agency, European countries downplayed the "threat" and reaffirmed their commitment to cleaner fuel.

In 2015, the U.S., along with nearly 200 other nations, signed the Paris Accords. This international agreement aims to reduce global warming through the burning of less oil, coal and gas, and to reach net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050.

Wright stated that "there has been a group mentality of 10 years invested into a destructive illusion, net zero by 2050. We will use all our pressure to get the IEA 'eventually in the next or two years, to move away from this program."

Born of the 1970s Oil Supply Crisis

The Paris-based IEA, which was founded in the 1970s after the?oil crisis, provides data and research to U.S. government and other industrialised countries to help guide their energy policies.

The U.S. pays about $6 million (5.10 millions euros) in IEA fees per year, out of a $22 million budget for the agency. U.S. president Donald Trump rejected international efforts to combat global warming. He also sought to unfetter fossil fuel development and stymie renewable energy rollout.

He has also clashed repeatedly with Europe, and tried to minimize U.S. financial contribution to international organisations.

Wright said that many countries had agreed, in private, with the U.S. position to move away from net-zero goals and to continue to increase production of fossil fuels.

Wright stated that "we are seeing many nations, at the very least, privately, talk about wanting their countries to be competitive again, to reindustrialise them, and to have strong military forces." Wright said that some politicians in Europe were unlikely to change their green positions.

"A number European nations have staked the political platforms of their countries and their desire to be relevant on the global stage, in a net-zero agenda. Wright stated that only the hard cold reality of the situation, uprisings by people, and voting out political parties could change the world.

Long-term goal to end dependence on fossil fuel imports

The French Finance Minister Roland Lescure is among those who have played down the U.S. threats.

"The worst can never be certain." Lescure stated that after speaking with Chris Wright he was convinced they had enough in common to work together on, including nuclear power.

The host reaffirmed France's commitment towards clean?energy and stated that the goal was to electrify their industry in order to rely less heavily on oil and natural gas.

"Electrification is France and Europe's structural and strategic answer. Lescure stated that although we still need gas, particularly for the industrial sector and I am very happy the U.S. is able to meet this need, the objective long-term goal was to end the dependence on fossil energy imports, which is still far too high. Sophie Hermans of the Netherlands, who presided over the IEA conference, stated that a majority of countries wanted to build more clean energy at home and rely less on imports. "I understand how difficult it is to reach these goals. That's no reason for me to quit. No. Hermans replied, "I will work harder and roll up my sleeves."

Fatih Birol, the IEA director, declined to comment about the U.S. mandate to remove the "net zero" scenario from the World Energy Outlook annual forecast. He said that the data of the IEA was respected worldwide as being reliable.

(source: Reuters)