30 Seconds with...Dieter Helm
Ahead of Flame 2013 in March, we spend 30 Seconds with keynote speaker Dieter Helm, Oxford University.
What are you currently working on?
The implications of the dash for coal in Europe, energy market design and capacity mechanisms, and the implications of North American energy independence. I am also co-editing a book on the economics of biodiversity. This will be a sister volume to my current book - the Carbon Crunch.
When it comes to climate change and energy policy, who do you think has made the biggest positive (or negative if you prefer!) impact so far?
There has been almost no global progression limiting emissions since 1990, and the Kyoto framework has failed to make any significant impact. The rise in emissions has been largely due to the increasing coal burn, in turn driven by the phenomenal economic growth in China.
You have recently written a book as a call to action on the changes we need to make to make a meaningful difference to carbon emissions and of course a lot of your career has been dedicated to this. What inspired you to raise awareness about climate change?
Climate change – along with biodiversity loss – is one of the big and most difficult problems of our age. It has the potential to cause enormous damage. I approached the problem by carefully reading as much of the literature as I could, and became concerned by the combination of the science of the greenhouse effort, the evidence from the ice cores, and relentless march towards doubling the carbon in the atmosphere. In the twentieth century the world’s population rose from 2 billion to 7 billion, and is on course to reach 9 billion by 2050. The coal burn keeps on rising, and there seems to be little serious effort to limit the emissions. Every responsible citizen should be concerned!
You are hosting a session with Philip Lowe of the EC and Lord Browne of Madingley at Flame 2013- what do you think the key discussion points will be and where do you predict your opinions will differ?
Philip Lowe is an extraordinary public servant who has thought very deeply about competition and energy policy. We agree on much of the competition agenda, though I am perhaps more pessimistic about how far the EU will get with the internal energy market as the member states increasing seek national energy outcomes. The potential development of 27 separate capacity markets across Europe, and the move towards a central buyer model in the UK have the potential to be serious setbacks. Lord Browne has a great depth of experience across the full range of energy issues. I suspect that we will all agree on the challenges ahead, but there will be different emphases on the immediate policy priorities and the direction of global energy markets.
In your book, you state that switching to gas in the short term is the only way to meet emissions targets in time. How has this idea been received by policy makers?
In The Carbon Crunch, I argue that the immediate priority is to stop the dash for coal. If China and India double their GDP in this decade (which is inevitable on current growth rates) then there will be between 400-600 GWs new coal on the world’s energy systems by 2020. This is a disaster in the making, and with emissions already close to 400 parts per million, we need a quick fix whilst we develop the existing new energy technologies which are in the pipeline. Gas can play this temporary role – and indeed it already is in the US.
What other measures are necessary to really make an impact on global carbon emissions?
We need a carbon price which taxes carbon consumption, not carbon production – and this means a border tax adjustment, and we need a major R&D programme to develop the new technologies which can solve the problem.
What do you think the gas industry needs to do in order to secure its place in the energy mix (both in the short and long term)?
The gas industry has not been good at presenting its case. What it needs to do is to focus on the public interest, rather than its own narrow private interests, and if it is to have anything more than a transitionary role, it needs to invest seriously in CCS. It should highlight the disaster which is the current dash for coal – not least in Europe.
You are a regular (and popular) speaker at Flame- What do you most look forward to at the event?
Flame is the premier European gas conference. It strives to have a serious public discussion, it features key outsiders and it is an opportunity to learn a great deal about what is really going on in European gas and energy markets.
Can you tell us an unusual fact about yourself?
I am a Vice President of my local Wildlife Trust and have a great interest in all things to do with nature conservation.
You can hear more from Dieter Helm at Flame 2013, running 11-15 March at the Hotel Okura, Amsterdam, and you can find Dieter’s new book for purchase by clicking here
To find out more about Flame 2013 click here to visit the website.