19th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC IEA Side Event: Energy policy and technology responses to increase the pre-2020 ambition for countries to mitigate climate change

Background

‌A small but dedicated IEA team was hard at work at the COP19 climate talks in Warsaw, Poland. IEA activities there aimed to bring energy sector analysis into the climate negotiations while keeping the Agency informed of the latest developments in the negotiations to inform future IEA work.

The IEA held a side event highlighting key short-term actions that can be taken in the energy sector to make rapid emissions reductions, keeping the energy sector on track until a new climate agreement begins in 2020. The event focused on renewables, energy efficiency, World Energy Outlook model results, and how energy and climate policies can be better integrated. The team also participated in numerous other side events to disseminate IEA analysis, and the Agency had a popular publications stand, where delegates could speak to experts, get copies of the latest IEA analysis and, as in the photo, read the IEA Member Countries’ Statement on Climate Change.  Bookstand

Following the launch of the WEO special report and IEA presentation at the ADP session on energy transformation in June, IEA experts presented specific policy aspects of energy efficiency, renewables and fossil fuels. They also drew on the Agency's recent work to explore the interaction between carbon pricing and energy policies, and progress of clean energy technologies. 

Opening remarks:
Didier Houssin, Director, Directorate of Sustainable Energy Policy and Technology

Panelists included:

• Laura Cozzi, Deputy Head of the Directorate of Global Energy Economics - Redrawing the Energy Climate Map
• Paolo Frankl, Head of the Renewable Energy Division - Achieving ambition: Pre 2020 policies and technologies for the energy sector, the role of renewables.
• Philippe Benoit, Head of Energy Efficiency & Environment Division - Energy Efficiency: Towards our 2020 Climate Goals,
• Takashi Hattori, Head of the Environment and Climate Change Unit - Managing interactions between carbon pricing and energy policies
• Jean-François Gagné, Head, Energy Technology Policy Division - The role of technology and collaboration in meeting global energy challenges.

The format of this event left ample room for Q&A with the audience, providing a unique occasion for exchange of views with IEA experts.

Download the IEA COP19 Flyer,  IEA Side Event Photo, COP apples