Very happy that you have found and tuned-in to this brief video message from my working practice: Energy For One World
First of all, and of course, I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2019- with Peace and with All Good.
Secondly, – let me briefly take a moment of your time, and share with you- what I see on our agenda on Energy Architecture, Climate and Sustainable Development- for the year to come.
What the invitation is- to all of us- Energy men and women in the North, the South, the East and the West. – , and to come to grasp with.
In a little different way- we can state that the year 2019 is a stepping stone somewhere between year 2015 and onwards till 2020, or 2030, 2050 – if you like some milestone years or dates to come.
Year 2030 is and was the year agreed to attain Sustainable Development or Sustainable Societies- to all.
Well- you don’t need to be a Rocket Scientist- and based on some real facts, trend-lines, geo-politics of emotions, behaviours and (economic, energy sector) developments over 2018, to understand that that these sustainable development goals for 2030 are still very much a pipe-dream, a pie in the skie.
In the North, and in the South, in the East and in the West.
At the conclusion of 2018, my practice shared some evident views by global experts and institutes on the state we see ourselves today in.
Very much simplified- we could say that 2018 did not shine nor excel in the progression of sustainable energy-economy development, nor that we evidenced our true will or wish to rebalance the direction of our human development and our economies – with that of Nature.
Again- very much simplified, we could state that National, State and Corporate Interests and Economic Goals, Rivalries and Strive have taking priority over the transition towards (true) Sustainable Development and Human dignity and respect.
Whereas G20 Government Leadership gathered in Argentine, and Climate Leadership gathered in Katowice, both events may have judged as events “holding it still together”.
An appeasement, but not a strong sign or demonstration of our “can do” .
Let me share you 3 simple examples- of what we observe and mean by “we can do so much better, today and tomorrow”:
NW Europe
In NW Europe we see ample government rumble, programs and noises to steer their societies towards sustainability and attainment of the Paris agreement.
Sad reality and fact is that these transition programs are narrowly minded, made-up by the defending incumbents, locally based and with a one-dimensional change outlook only- and in addition steer the attainment of change on policy instruments such as CO2-tax, ETS, CCS- and seek distribution of costs and responsibilities throughout the national value chains.
A clearly missed opportunity in much of these national accords and programs is that these national programs miss a regional or international perspective, do not cross borders, and hardly integrate a more regional view on advancing the (regional) electricity grids beyond 20% of primary energy use, nor to advance and accelerate a transition and new vision on the present intense petro-economies and industries.
In essence- a lot of noise and rumble, but hardly accords that truly shine in example and leadership over true (global) change.
In the Sector
Earlier, a Vice President of an International Oil Company shared with me:
Today, the business model of finding, extracting, producing and bring to market new oil and gas (from Tanzania or Venezuela) is still very much in the same ways as we did it 25 or 30 years ago.
Nothing really has changed.
Well- again, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist, but if our wish is to reduce the petro-intensities of our economies, and our wish is to build better energy architectures for our homes and cars, it is not difficult to realize that better integration of the full energy-economy value chain is a must, if our desire is to do so.
In the International Trade relations
And finally- both the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement are meaningless- if in our existing trade and trade relations we are not mending our present ways of selling intense farming, intense consumption, intense cities and industries, intense energy architectures.
Based on now 10 years in this consulting practice- including our participation in outreach, executive energy education and workshops- I know we can do so much better, and I know that we better get at this, rather diligently and with good care.
In fact,
The (international) toolbox of available solutions is filled to the brim.
Both in hardware, hard-wired solutions that we can make and deploy into real energy-architecture solutions, as well the more software, or say soft skilled sided business, organisational and culture change.
The sad thing is: we hardly seem to use this toolbox.
Ultimately, It is all to do about
- a better awareness on the path to our shared Future,
- the Quality of our Leadership,
- our Abilities and Capabilities of our Leadership to truly manage the transitions and change- in our economies, in the energy architecture and in the trade and trade relations, that we need.
Great Leadership – in Governments and in the Sector- will recognize that our real invitation to us is to make ourselves and our organisations “pupils again”, make ourselves “fresh, imaginative, learning and creative”- – re-focus and re-organize–, and learn each other to truly care;
- Care for the Common Home
- Care for the Other in balance with the care for own organisation, country and community
- Care for Nature
- Care for the Human development, overall.
To align and attune these common goals and needs, with individual, and local organisation, business and country goals and directions of development.
To realize every day “small steps and big steps” in our organizations, in our businesses and in our ways- every day.
As such- and (above else)- the invitation on our Horizon is not to attain some lofty Climate target goals- as they are only one-dimensional- and do not touch the essence of this all,
but the real invitation is to walk in more beauty, to change ourselves, and to be a bit holistic: allow human life, (care for) the other and our nature to foster and grow.
I invite you to look at our EFOW Year 2019 practice services, and you will see and find some great background and examples of “can-do”, and of a little different approach to (our) change challenge that you will attain from the present straight-jacketed or over-bureaucratised policy making, organisation, government administration, company or consultancy practice(s).
I wish you all very well- on your journey,
AK, 2019