ABSTRACT
Energy security and climate policy are frequently presented as two sides of the same issue. Within the climate policy mix, the primary tool for incentivising the uptake of low-carbon technology the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol has largely failed to capitalise on the emissions saving potential of energy efficiency. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and climate engineering are as yet unproven and untested on a large scale. Scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have concluded, with a high level of agreement, that energy efficiency measures could reduce global emissions. On the other hand, policy makers who neglect climate policy in favour of a one-eyed quest for energy security run the risk of provoking an environmental disaster that carries economic, military and human security risks of tremendous magnitude. The future shape of the mechanism is in doubt with the continued negotiations on a post-2012 successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
