Policy Impact in 2012

Research from ENE was presented at a number high-level events in 2012 (see below).

Global Energy Assessment

In 2012 ENE engaged in a host of dissemination and outreach activities for the GEA. These activities, which featured ENE staff and GEA Director Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Shonali Pachauri, and Keywan Riahi, sought to highlight the key findings of the GEA report by providing policy-relevant analysis and capacity-enhancing guidance to accelerate and promote the transition to sustainable technologies and policies. After the report was launched during the Rio+20 Conference, additional outreach events were held in Berlin, Moscow, Oslo, London, Paris, Brussels, and the Hague. 2013 will see events in the USA, India, and elsewhere.

Sustainable Energy For All

ENE research findings from the GEA have been instrumental in informing the UN Secretary-General’s Initiative on Sustainable Energy for All (www.SustainableEnergyForAll.org), which accelerated its activities in 2012 and became increasingly influential. The input provided to the UN, World Bank, and other international bodies by ENE staff Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Jessica Jewell, Volker Krey, Keywan Riahi, Shonali Pachauri, and Luis Gomez Echeverri (TNT) has helped to define aspirational yet feasible objectives for SE4All (http://www.SustainableDevelopmentForAll.org/), related to energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. ENE work helped frame the SE4All's "Action Agenda" within a systems-based view of transformational change. Nakicenovic, in particular, serves as a lead drafter on the Initiative's Task Force on energy efficiency and renewable energy; in addition, as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Group on SE4All, he provides strategic advice to Ban Ki-moon and other key policymakers.

UNIDO & GEF

The Energy Program’s successful collaboration with UNIDO and GEF also had an important policy impact in 2012. As mentioned above, the interactive policy tools and policy reports were launched in a series of regional workshops in West Africa, India, and Armenia by Shonali Pachauri, David McCollum, and Keywan Riahi. A diverse array of local stakeholders and policymakers attended these events to reflect on the implications of ENE research for their particular countries and regions.

Energy for a Shared Development Agenda

Another policy-relevant activity that ENE scientists contributed to in 2012 was the “Energy for a Shared Development Agenda” report, which was launched by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development. For this work, Shonali Pachauri and Keywan Riahi provided data and scenarios on energy access, as well as a case study for South Asia.

IIASA 40th Anniversary Conference

Finally, ENE staff members were heavily involved in the IIASA 40th Anniversary Conference: Worlds within Reach: From Science to Policy. Nebojsa Nakicenovic and David McCollum served on the Organizing Committee, and keynote talks were given by Keywan Riahi, Shonali Pachauri, Narasimha Rao, Nakicenovic, and McCollum. Meanwhile, Volker Krey chaired a session, and Jessica Jewell and Nils Johnson served as rapporteurs. Yu Nagai won one of three “Best Poster” awards. Nakicenovic, Narasimha Rao, McCollum, Peter Kolp, and Mathis Rogner were particularly engaged in the lead-up to the Conference, given the various leadership roles they played in planning the event.

ENE presentations at high-level events

United Nations Secretary-General Technical Group on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) (5 January, New York); World Future Energy Summit 2012 (16 January, Abu Dhabi); German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) (19 January, Berlin); ALPS International Symposium at the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) (7 February, Tokyo); Vienna Energy Club (27 February; Vienna); World Water Forum (17 March, Marseille); International Council for Science (ICSU) (19 March, Paris); Planet Under Pressure (26 March, London); Austrian Panel on Climate Change Assessment (APCC) (30 March, Vienna); Global Carbon Project Scientific Steering Committee Meeting (13 April, Marrakesh); First Forum of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (8 May, Cape Town); Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (18 June, Rio de Janeiro); IIASA 40th Anniversary Conference (24 October, Vienna); and IPCC AR5 Lead Author Meeting (5 November, Vigo).

Last edited: 30 October 2013