Press Quotes

19 November 2009, The Copenhagen Post, Denmark
Presenting the WEO 2009 in Copenaghen, IEA highlights that if the world sets a goal to keep CO2 under 450 ppm it will prevent oil from rising over $147 per barrel again. That kind of guarantee is one that is good for the climate, economies and energy security. Controlling the world's thirst for oil is in everyone's interest, because, no matter what happens, the demand for oil in the coming years is going to increase. As IEA chief economist Fatih Birol put it: "the era of cheap oil is over".

16 November 2009, Financial Times
Reader Q&A with Dr Fatih Birol, IEA chief economist

12 November 2009, Forbes
Experts pick the 7 most powerful people in their fields: When he (Fatih Birol) says things like "the world would need to find the equivalent of four times the crude oil reserves now held by Saudi Arabia to maintain current production plus six Saudi Arabias if it is to keep up with the expected increase in demand between now and 2030," the world takes notice.

11 November 2009, Vedomosti, Russia
Because of the crisis the world energy consumption decreases in 2009 – for the first time since 1981, says International Energy Agency in its report “World Energy Outlook”. The oil consumption in 2009 decreases by 2.2% (in 2008 it decreased by 0.8%), energy demand fall by 1.6% (for the first time since the Second World War), and total investment in oil and gas production decreases by around 19% to its level in 2008, which is more than 90 billions euro.

11 November 2009, Reuters India
The world faces a surge in energy costs, as well as in planet-warming carbon emissions, unless it can hurriedly agree a climate change deal, the International Energy Agency said yesterday at World Energy Outlook 2009 press conference. IEA’s Chief Economist Fatih Birol told "The world needs to go to the 450 part per million (ppm) target, not only because of climate change but because of growing problems within our energy system and its possible implications again on the economy."

11 November 2009, The Australian
Global crude demand may grow by just 4 million barrels a day from current levels to 89mbd by 2030 if a major agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions is signed and implemented by nations, the International Energy Agency said in its annual World Energy Outlook publication, released yesterday. Efficiency measures and alternative energy resources developed under a global climate change pact could cap future crude oil prices.

11 November 2009, Die Zeit, Germany
The IEA calls upon industrialised countries to commit to active climate policy. This will cost a lot. But doing nothing will be expensive as well. “Copenhagen must give a signal” says Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency (IEA). “It is essential that OECD countries clearly commit to effective climate policy there, even if a detailed agreement cannot be reached.”

11 November 2009, L'Express, France
Dr. Fatih Birol, the author of the World Energy Outlook, said that the share of spending on energy in GDP for the main consuming countries will double by 2030. Therefore the world needs to strive towards a 450 parts per million CO2-equivalent concentration not only for climate change reasons, but also to prevent the energy system from shocks and their eventual implications on the economy.

11 November 2009, People's Daily, China
As one of the consequences of the financial crisis, global energy use is set to fall in 2009, for the first time since 1981, according to the World Energy Outlook 2009, the IEA’s flagship publication launched Tuesday in London. The WEO 2009 said fossil fuels will continue to dominate the energy mix, accounting for more than three-quarters of incremental demand. Non-OECD countries account for over 90 percent of this increase.

11 November 2009, Neue Züricher Zeitung, Switzerland
Global energy demand has decreased because of the economic crisis. But it is going to increase significantly again, if no radical policy measures are taken. The International Energy Agency IEA deems them as extremely urgent because of climate change.