On Day 2 of the Global Commodities Forum, the participants’ attention turned to Energy Transition. This is a subject of great interest to economies across the globe, both those which are endowed with natural resources like oil and gas, and those which seek to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels. For example, Barbados has set a target of 100 percent green energy by 2030.
The theme of the forum is “Strengthening Resilience in Commodity-Dependent Countries”.
The two discussion sessions of the day dealt with some aspect of energy transition.
During the first panel, The Future of Oil and Gas-Dependent Countries in an Era of Energy Transition, there were presentations from René Bautz, Chairman of the Global Gas Centre; Arash Duero, Principal at Bingmann Pflüger International; and Dr. Thackwray “Dax” Driver, Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago.
In the second session, Greening Mining for a Green Energy Transition, participants heard from Nicky Black Director, Social and Economic Development Programme at the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM); Pascal Laffont, Chief Legal Counsel and Secretary to the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency; and Michael Wurmser, Deputy CEO and Founder of Norge Mining.
One presenter noted that a few years ago, green mining would have appeared to be a paradox, however, today it is a reality and is integral to the transition to clean energy.
Another admitted that mining has had a negative impact on climate change, but asserted that when done responsibly in collective and collaborative conditions, this impact is being mitigated.
Once again, the sessions were moderated by Maggie Mutesi in Geneva and Prof. Winston Moore in Barbados. They fielded questions and comments from participants in the Geneva studio and those engaging online on the virtual platform.
