In this video for viEUws – the EU Policy Broadcaster – journalist Sonja van Renssen is joined by Jos Delbeke (Director General for Climate Action, European Commission), Kathleen Van Brempt MEP (Vice-president of the S&D Group) and Eirik Wærness (Chief Economist and Vice President, Statoil) to debate the question: “Road to Paris: can the EU retain its leadership role at COP21?”
This highlights video presents the core discussions and conclusions of a live debate, organised by viEUws and sponsored by Statoil, held on Wednesday 17 June 2015 at the European Commission in Brussels. You can find the complete debate video here. The highlights video also first appeared on viEUws.
In the debate, Statoil’s Chief Economist Wærness draws on the company’s Energy Perspectives 2015 report, published in June, to argue that the world can limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. “We think it’s possible,” he says. This is a world with about half of today’s coal use, but similar oil and gas demand (less oil, more gas). “It’s a huge challenge to deliver enough oil and gas in the two degrees scenario,” Wærness argues.
Leading on from this, the speakers debate the role of fossil fuels in a two degrees world, the risk of divestment and stranded assets, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and finally, prospects for an agreement at UN climate talks in Paris in December.
paulharpal rup-rai says
Interesting .
Where did Statoil find these leaders ( from another universe?
So there is no pollution from oil and gas , no CO2 produced from oil and gas , no nuclear waste , no fukushima , no oil spills, no subsea blowouts on deep water wells , no renewable energies , no burning off gas on oil wells,no fiscal corruption, no politicians that line their own pockets?
This argument has been going on since before I was born a few decades ago and still the same idiotic denial !
Julien says
Considering the number of coal plants that will have to retire in the next years, gas may be indeed needed to fire less polluting plants that will replace the coal ones.