Fatih Birol

10Mar

The Path Forward Goes Through CCUS

Does the world have the technology solutions it needs to decarbonize? The answer, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and technologists, including Bill Gates, is a resounding no. The ongoing debate about and relentless focus on near-term national emissions goals misses the bigger, far more important picture. The U.S. is likely to contribute 5% […]
04Feb

Dr. Birol’s Most Vital, Most Critical Technology

For any “Groundhog Day” fans, watching Dr. Fatih Birol testify before Congress catches us all in a Bill Murray moment. For the last three years, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Executive Director, Dr. Fatih Birol, has testified in front of Congress on energy issues and the climate challenge. Each time he testifies he is as […]
21Oct

An Energy and Emissions Reality Check from Candidate Biden

In a townhall last week, Joe Biden sought to distance himself and his energy plan from the Green New Deal. “The difference between me and the new green deal is they say, automatically, by 2030 we’re going to be carbon free. Not possible,” Biden said. He continued, making a case for investment into carbon capture, […]
17Sep

The Urgency Continues to Build for U.S. Leadership on CCUS

The clean energy technologies we will need tomorrow hinge on innovation today. That is the bottom line of a new International Energy Agency (IEA) study that analyzes what is needed to achieve global emissions reduction goals. What’s abundantly clear from IEA’s analysis is that the favorite technologies of American climate hawks – namely wind and […]
23Jul

Growing Urgency for U.S. Leadership on Advanced Coal Technology

Not nearly enough. That’s the conclusion of two new reports examining what’s being done to develop and deploy emissions-reduction technology for coal plants. The reports, one from the National Coal Council (NCC) and the other from the International Energy Agency (IEA), paint a clear picture about the urgency and necessity of doubling down on research, […]
24Jun

Coal Remains the World’s Leading Fuel for Electricity Generation

The world needs U.S. coal technology leadership more than ever. And if the U.S. is indeed concerned with tackling the global emissions challenge, coal technology can’t be an afterthought in the climate equation, it needs to be a centerpiece of the effort. The 2020 BP Statistical Review of World Energy highlights a trend that is […]
11Mar

The “Most Critical” Technology

Just a week ago, (and what a week it has been) International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Asked what technology is most essential to tackling emissions, he didn’t mince words. “If I had to pick one technology as the most critical, if I had a magic […]
02Oct

The Case for Carbon Capture Has Never Been Stronger

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2019 International Energy Outlook projects that global energy consumption will increase 50 percent by 2050. Electricity consumption is expected to jump an even more staggering 79 percent. Should electrification take off – as many experts expect it will – and there is a decisive shift to electric vehicles, as well as […]
26Sep

Charting a Replicable Path Forward

U.N. Climate Week has delivered no shortage of rhetoric and theatrics, but not nearly enough focus on energy reality and replicable solutions. Amid the summit, the U.S. Energy Information Administration released its International Energy Outlook, projecting that global energy consumption is expected to increase 50 percent by midcentury as the global population surges towards 10 billion. […]
06Mar

A Most Vital Technology

What technology does Fatih Birol, director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), believe is “most vital” to reducing emissions? Wind or solar power? Nuclear energy or energy storage? It is, in fact, carbon capture. Mr. Birol made his remarks last week in a joint press conference with U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry. Both are adamant […]