The UK is facing unprecedented new energy challenges and will be unable to secure its future power supplies or a stable climate by acting alone, according to a new report by Chatham House.
Written by Nick Mabey of E3G and John Mitchell of Chatham House, “Investing for an uncertainfuture: Priorities for UK energy and climate security” addresses energy security and climate security as interlocking challenges.
Against a context of dwindling UK fossil fuel reserves and increasingly unpredictable relationships with supplier countries, UK’s energy security will depend on securing access to low carbon technologies and investment in power supplies, the report argues.
The paper assesses the changing global landscape for energy supplies and for climate politics, and evaluates the ability of the UK energy system to respond to new risks and problems, including ageing power generation capacity, oil price spikes and changing priorities among fuel exporters.
Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G, commented:
"UK’s energy security depends on securing investment and securing access to technologies, not just securing supplies of fossil fuels.
The UK will be unable to achieve either climate or energy security on its own. Achieving Britain’s strategic aims will require using our influence in Europe to build competitive energy markets and to work with emerging economies to develop a global climate regime."
It concludes that European and international cooperation on strategic technologies, infrastructure and investment is fundamental to meeting the UK’s future energy needs.