There will be strong social pressure to accelerate the energy transition in Europe

Companies, governments and many economists envisage an energy transition more or less in line with the 2°C scenario of the International Energy Agency: significant energy savings, rapid transition from coal to other energy sources (including natural gas), development of renewables and nuclear energy, significant reduction in the use of oil. But public opinion, environmentalists and young people are demanding a faster transition. A faster energy transition would pose formidable problems: A huge amount of capital will become unusable (stranded assets); There would need to be a considerable increase in investment in renewable energies (production and distribution), combining both the public and private sectors; The issues around storing electricity and managing the intermittent nature of production and the seasonality of consumption; The ineffect iveness of Europe’s effort if other countries (emerging countries, United States) do not do the same.