Pinoys see future energy needs as high priority

Business Mirror

06 Feb 2014 

 

Written by Lenie Lectura

THE Philippines is one of the Asian countries that is very concerned about future energy needs, Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday, citing a commissioned survey.

The Shell-commissioned Future Energy surveys ranked longer-term future energy needs—alongside everyday concerns like public education and cost of living—as important. The surveys covered 8,446 respondents in 31 cities and nine regional areas.

“It is encouraging to know that Asians view future energy needs as high priority, as this region will see one of the fastest growths in population and energy demand,” said Jeremy Bentham, Shell vice president for global business environment. “More than ever before, the industry, government and public all have a joint responsibility to create a better energy future, and must come together to collaborate and coordinate our efforts to meet these challenges for generations to come.”

Most respondents expect energy shortages and higher energy prices to have a significant impact on their respective countries. Issues seen as most pertinent are energy shortages in Thailand (91 percent) and South Korea (70 percent), higher energy prices in India (91 percent) and Singapore (79 percent), water shortages in Vietnam (89 percent) and food shortages in Indonesia (86 percent). 

Survey respondents agree that collaboration between the industry, government and the public, as well as innovation and incentives for cleaner energy, are the most important factors in shaping future energy needs.

Shell brought the Powering Progress Together Forum to Asia for the first time this year, co-hosting it with the city of Manila.

 Launched in the Netherlands, the forum brings together global experts and leaders to discuss concrete ways by which the countries and people can mitigate stresses on energy, water and food resources.    source