Mr. Tim Gould:

That is precisely the conclusion we reached in this analysis. It is completely the wrong benchmark for the gas industry to compare itself with the more carbon intensive fuel. We need to bring those methane emissions down to as low a level as is practically possible. We need to maximise the potential benefits we get from natural gas. For us, that is one of the key variables that needs to be part of the discussion when we talk about the future of natural gas. As the Deputy asked about the role of natural gas in the system, we also need to recognise that it does useful things for the energy system. From an industrial perspective, it brings the option of high temperature heat, where renewable options are less readily available.

In respect of the power system, which we discussed, it provides an important element of electricity security, particularly in countries that have heavy winter heating loads.

There could be a role for natural in parts of the transport sector where electrification is difficult, for example, with respect to some of the heavy freight in some countries and in the international maritime sector. That are elements that gas brings to the table in terms of its versatility in performance that make it very much part of this conversation about the way we need to move ahead.

It is also important to recognise there is a good deal of inertia in the system. There is a good deal of energy consuming equipment that has a long shelf life. Replacing it quickly in a way that removes the need for the fuels that feed that equipment is not a simple task. There are discussions on the speed with which we can replace the infrastructure that has taken many decades to build up. That process needs to move quickly. When we talk about deep renovations of our building stock, that is not simple from a policy perspective, a public acceptance perspective or a cost perspective. When introducing new processes in the industry, there are complex issues involved, including competitiveness in the industry, which need to be taken into account.

Regarding the transport sector, within the passenger car segment, there are options with respect to electrification that are moving ahead rapidly in some countries and less rapidly in others, but other parts of the sector are much more difficult nuts to crack, namely, the areas I highlighted which are aviation and shipping. There is a degree of inertia there which needs to be taken into account when one puts together these analyses.

We in the IEA talk to many people, including a large range of NGOs and people representing different technologies in all parts of the energy industry. We have a range of technology networks examining ocean energy, solar PV, and different aspects of end-use sufficiency. They bring together the best experts-researchers from governments and academic institutions to try to find ways of making this transition quicker. That is very much the way we see our role. My concluding remark is that at the core of the IEA's mission since 1974 has been the notion of providing energy services reliably, securely, affordably and sustainably but we have to think about-----