3 Questions: World energy outlook
Fatih Birol, chief economist of the Paris-based International Energy Agency, is the lead author of an eye-catching new report projecting that the United States will become the world’s leading oil producer within a few decades. Birol, who also chairs the World Economic Forum’s Energy Advisory Board, has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the most influential people on the global energy scene. He is often called on to brief high-level political figures on energy issues — including briefings last year for President Barack Obama, among other leaders, on the implications of America’s boom in natural gas. Birol will speak at MIT about the new report on Wednesday, Nov. 28. MIT News spoke with him in advance of this appearance to ask about the world’s energy outlook.Q. The new report has attracted great press attention for its projection that the United States may soon become the world’s leading oil...