How Did Covid Change Long-Term Energy Demand and Supply?
As governments roll out vaccination programs and lift coronavirus-induced restrictions on travel and leisure, the worlds demand for oil is slowly returning to normal. The International Energy Agency in June forecast that global crude demand will return to its pre-pandemic high during 2022s final quarter. At the same time, resurgent consumption has driven a rebound in carbon emissionseven as some wealthy countries are accelerating their push toward low-carbon energy such as wind and solar power. Wall Street Journal reporter David Hodari spoke with three energy experts about those questions. Tim Gould is head of energy-supply outlooks and investment at the International Energy Agency in Paris. Amy Myers Jaffe is managing director of the climate-policy lab at Tufts Universitys Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Marianne Kah is a senior research scholar and advisory-board member at Columbia Universitys Center on Global Energy Policy. Here are edited excerpts of the conversation.