The world appears to be emerging from the worst economic crisis in decades. Many countries have made pledges under the Copenhagen Accord to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Commitments have also been made by the G-20 and APEC to phase out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies. Are we, at last, on the path to a secure, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy system?

Updated projections of energy demand, production, trade and investment, fuel by fuel and region by region to 2035 are provided in the 2010 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO). It includes, for the first time, a new scenario that anticipates future actions by governments to meet the commitments they have made to tackle climate change and growing energy insecurity.

WEO-2010 shows:

·         what more must be done and spent to achieve the goal of the Copenhagen Accord to limit the global temperature increase to 2°C and how these actions would impact on oil markets;

·         how emerging economies – led by China and India – will increasingly shape the global energy landscape;

·         what role renewables  can play in a clean and secure energy future;

·         what removing fossil-fuel subsidies would mean for energy markets, climate change and state budgets;

·         the trends in Caspian energy markets and the implications for global energy supply;

·         the prospects for unconventional oil; and

·         how to give the entire global population access to modern energy services.

With extensive data, projections and analysis, WEO-2010 provides invaluable insights into how the energy system could evolve over the next quarter of a century. The book is essential reading for anyone with a stake in the energy sector.