US slams anti-fossil fuel policies

An international summit on the future of energy security opened in London yesterday with stark opposition from Washington, which called policies to phase out fossil fuels "harmful and dangerous".

Profound differences emerged at the two-day International Energy Agency (IEA) meeting over the role of renewables in satisfying the world's thirst for energy.

"Some want to regulate every form of energy besides the so-called renewables, completely out of existence... We oppose these harmful and dangerous policies. This is not energy security," Tommy Joyce, US Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, told the conference.

That contrasted to a more moderate message from IEA executive director Fatih Birol in opening remarks at the summit, co-hosted by the UK.

"Every economy has its own pathway for energy. We should understand and respect it," he said.

He added also that "oil and gas are key parts of our energy mix, and they will remain as part of the energy mix in years to come."

Birol's comments depart from the IEA's own forecast in 2023 that fossil fuel demand would peak before 2030.

Several energy ministers from European countries attended the gathering, including 120 senior government officials, business leaders, and experts.

The United States is only represented by acting deputy secretaries of state, while China, Saudi Arabia and Russia are skipping the event altogether.