Page 22 - DIVA_3_2019

international

Believe it or not, it was an article in The New York Times, years before my arrival and emerged from various committees
back, that first drew our attention to the importance of work such as the Coal Committee that were created right at the
done in Geneva in the field of energy. Now, experts gather foundation of UNECE in 1947. The Committee on Sustainable
there from all over to discuss and decide upon standards, Energy works to ensure access to affordable and clean energy
rules and regulations that are so complicated technically to all and to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the
that only experts can understand them. The man behind this carbon footprint of the energy sector. We are developing
international recognition is Mr Scott Foster. Let us briefly and deploying normative instruments, including our
introduce him. He has worked extensively with governments work on standards and best practice guidances in energy
and international organizations on energy policy, market efficiency, renewable energy, natural gas and methane.
design and regulation, climate change, investment promotion, Proper management of methane from source to use will be
and renewables technology and policy for more than 30 years. an effective means of reducing emissions of an intensive
Mr. Foster holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.S. in greenhouse gas. UNECE is helping countries improve
civil engineering from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. management of their natural resource endowments through
from the University of California at Berkeley. the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) and
we published recommendations to policy makers on carbon
It goes without saying that he is a very busy man, more now capture and storage.
than ever. All of a sudden, owing to planetary warming, In terms of greatest impact today, I would say our work
everybody is interested in energy - green, fossil based, on sustainable resource management, high performance
nuclear - and whom do they turn to? Mr Foster at the buildings, and methane management in extractive industries
Sustainable Energy Division at UNECE. As if this were not all stand out. Topics that are picking up their tempo
enough, he also publishes regular articles on Linkedln such include the idea of a "just" transition - the modernization
as "How can we achieve energy for sustainable development?" of aging industry infrastructure taking account of social and
We had a chance to approach Mr Foster him in the corridor environmental requirements of local communities.
at the United Nations one day, when he was coming back The UN brand is an important part of our work. We are able
from one of the numerous conferences he and his colleagues to mobilize broad communities of experts who are passionate
organize, and he was kind enough to sit down with us and about the contributions they can make to the UN's 2030
answer our questions. Agenda for Sustainable Development. Everyone wants to
play a role, their role, in improving quality of life in all of its
Q: Could you tell us little about yourself? dimensions. That makes our work easier as we are able to
I joined the United Nations in 2011 as director of UNECE's access extremely high quality professionals, but it also makes
Sustainable Energy Division. Prior to that I was a our work harder as there is a need to manage people and
management consultant advising energy companies on their processes across the range of our topics to deliver meaningful
strategies, a senior employee at a global energy company and outcomes.
a California utility, and an energy expert working for and
with intergovernmental organisations. I have an MBA, a Q: The energy sector is going through a huge transformation.
master's in civil engineering, and an undergraduate degree What do you see as the future trends in the sector?
in classical studies. I have worked the energy field since the There are a number of secular trends playing out. The one
(very) late '70s. talked about most often in the energy space is the economic
and technical improvement in renewable energy, and that
Q: You are the Director of the Sustainable Energy Division clearly is an important driver. But there are other factors that
in UNECE. It is a huge area, could you tell us a little about have an important impact - smart everything (cities, grids,
your main activities. appliances) along with energy storage will improve the price
Most interlocutors assume that my work in sustainable energy responsiveness of electricity demand and the interactivity
is focused solely on energy efficiency and renewable energy. of the energy system. Traditional fuels, technologies, and
While we do work on those topics, in fact we address as well players are under enormous pressure from new entrants, and
issues associated with coal, gas, electricity, and sustainable they will likely respond by improving their own performance
resource management. Our activities fall into four broad and by embracing new technology and new business models.
areas - reducing the environmental footprint of energy; A total systems perspective based on electrification pervades
deep transformation of the energy system; sustainable the policy conversation, and that will enable increasing
resource management; and helping countries both track their participation by distributed generation and consumers.
progress to sustainable energy and develop enduring policy Beyond the trends in energy, urbanization, densification, and
frameworks. proper organization of cities (mobility, food, employment)
will change how we live our lives.
Q: You have set up a Committee on Sustainable Energy. I have said often that every technology will have a role to
What was the aim and what do you consider as the main play - each must meet environmental, safety, and quality
achievements? of life imperatives. Carbon capture and storage enabling
The Committee on Sustainable Energy was established long a future role for fossil fuels will require a serious price on

INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT DIVA
23