Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy through new economic and job opportunities are crucial to creating more sustainable and inclusive communities and resilience to environmental issues like climate change.

Energy is also essential to address fuel poverty and the wish of developing countries to grow to meet the demands imposed as the world’s population grows from 7.7 billion currently to 10 billion over the next three decades.  That means there will be three times more people on the planet than there were a century ago, something that creates a huge demand for sustainable energy supply.  The largest population growth is expected in China, India and other parts of Asia, where energy suppliers are largely met by oil, gas and coal.  The massive global challenge therefore is to find a way to reduce the carbon footprint to net zero whilst continuing to fuel and meet future energy needs, especially in areas like Asia where the demand is going to be highest.  Geoscience is at the heart of the challenge and provides the means to offer pragmatic energy solutions that result from, and are driven by, population growth.