IEA's Dr. Fatih Birol Urges Energy Industry to Slash Emissions to Avert Climate Catastrophe

(MENAFN- The Al-Attiyah Foundation) The energy industry must urgently reduce its carbon emissions if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change in the coming decades, Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told the Al-Attiyah Foundation in an exclusive podcast interview.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Birol warned that no continent will be spared the effects of global warming, and countries must collaborate to cut fossil fuel use. “About 80% of emissions that cause climate change come from fossil fuels. This is the reason there is a need to reduce emissions if we want a planet in the future that is like it is today,” Dr. Birol explained to Nawied Jabarkhyl of the Al-Attiyah Foundation.

Dr. Birol stressed the need to reduce fossil fuel use, starting with coal, but also other fossil fuels. “This doesn’t mean that tomorrow we will not need fossil fuels, but the share of fossil fuels needs to decline. If we don’t, we will face catastrophic implications like floods, heatwaves, and other extreme weather events. Continuing with the current fossil fuel-based energy system is not good news for anybody—producers and consumers alike.”

The IEA's stance is clear: a sustainable and secure energy future requires global emissions to decline faster than current trends. Dr. Birol highlighted the commitment made at 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates, where all countries, including producing nations, agreed to move away from fossil fuels. “Of course, we want to see this transition being fair and orderly,” he emphasised.

Turning to energy security - the uninterrupted process of securing the amount of energy that is needed to sustain people’s lives and daily activities while ensuring its affordability - Dr. Birol remarked, “energy security is our mandate, whether it’s oil or gas. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which cut Russian gas exports to Europe, we developed a ten-point plan to help Europe survive without substantial gas imports from Russia.”

In addition to oil and gas, Dr. Birol pointed to emerging security concerns such as critical minerals. “Critical minerals are a new area in which the IEA is working, and our ministers have given us a mandate to oversee this. The definition of energy security is evolving in the 21st century, and we are paying attention to both traditional resources like oil and gas and new issues like critical minerals.”

Dr. Birol concluded by underscoring the importance of a comprehensive approach to modern energy security, balancing traditional and new challenges to ensure a stable and sustainable energy future for all.

To listen to this eye-opening podcast and learn more about the energy transition, visit the Al-Attiyah Foundation YouTube channel under the same name and its website.

To learn more on energy scenarios and to keep up to date with the latest energy and sustainability news visit the Al-Attiyah Foundation website at and @AlAttiyahFndn on Twitter.

By: The Al-Attiyah Foundation.

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