IEA chief economist speaks on global warming and career development

Published: September 19, 2017

IEA's Varro speaking to lecture participants

International Energy Agency (IEA) Chief Economist Laszlo Varro lectured to students of Tokyo Tech and other universities at Ookayama Campus on July 13. Sponsored by the Graduate Major in Energy Science and Engineering and organized by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the talk aimed to encourage Japanese students to seek careers in international energy-related agencies. Varro opened with a short lecture on global warming, touching on energy mix policies needed in the future to limit the global increase in temperature to two degrees Celsius. This was followed by a question and answer session during which students asked about career opportunities at IEA.

The lecture clearly indicated that a global transition is needed to promote a future-oriented low-carbon society to reduce global warming aspects which present a multifaceted challenge to various sectors and countries worldwide. Varro also mentioned that Japanese companies are taking leadership roles in low-carbon energy technology development, not only in Japan but also in the US.

Varro describing scenarios related to global warming

For the transition to be a success, stakeholders representing various socio-economic sectors — policy makers, energy planners, the research community, academia, government, businesses, industrial leaders, and the public — will need to actively participate in determining the energy mix of the future. Universities are increasingly creating cross-departmental programs where students from engineering, environmental studies, design, architectural, economics, and social science departments work together.

The symposium closed with Mr. Varro answering questions from students on the political aspects of low-carbon electrification in the developing world, and career prospects and employment opportunities at IEA.