On eve of G8 summit, International Energy Agency issues climate plan

The International Energy Agency today announced policy recommendations to limit increases in global temperatures below two degrees Celsius at no net cost to the world economy. The package of measures analyzed by the IEA, a global authority on energy issues, uses existing technologies to keep warming below the level many believe would trigger the worst impacts of climate change.

“The IEA’s report provides a road map to a cleaner, more secure future,” said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund. “It also adds to the mountain of analysis showing that smart, practical measures are readily available to cut carbon pollution – in ways that do not harm the economy. Indeed, as the report makes clear, delaying action on climate change is the most expensive path.”

“It’s especially noteworthy to have such a report coming from the International Energy Agency, which was founded forty years ago to facilitate international coordination among oil-consuming countries,” said Krupp. “The fact that the IEA is issuing this report is a clear reminder that the real energy-related threat to economic prosperity is no longer an oil shock, but a climate shock.”

Krupp added, “We are already seeing the early-warning signs of climate change in extreme weather events around the world. This report, coming from the world’s leading experts on energy, sends a very clear message: We have the tools we need to make the turn toward climate safety. What is needed is the political will to act. This report should be required reading for next week’s G8 Summit.”