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IEA Director Fatih Birol during a presentation at Sabanci University in Istanbul

IEA Director Fatih Birol during a presentation at Sabanci University in Istanbul

Global Energy Governance

The institutional landscape for shaping and managing international energy relations is fragmented. Existing organizations such as the IEA, OPEC, IRENA, IEF, IAEA, and the European Energy Community are either limited to individual energy sources, consumers, producers, or specific regions. This reflects not only the strategic importance of the energy sector, where the principle of national sovereignty prevails, but also the very different starting points of individual countries, which pursue differing strategies with regard to climate change, energy security, and economic prosperity. The biggest shortcoming of these organizations is that they often no longer reflect actual energy flows: Brazil, India, China, and South Africa in particular are mostly left out. Global initiatives within the framework of the G7/8, G20, or UN are selective in nature, the failure to implement declarations is a weakness, and there is no legal binding force. In general, the international community faces the major challenge of achieving the transition to a climate-neutral energy system by 2050. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the conventional, i.e., fossil-based energy supply for a transitional period without consolidating it. Institutional conditions must be created to effectively meet this challenge.

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