His article claims that a rapid response to the pandemic could result in a reorganization of the economy and, consequently, accelerate the transition towards electrification.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Rolando Fuentes, research professor at EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey, collaborated on an article published in the special issue of the science journal Oxford Energy Forum on COVID-19 and the energy transition.

The article A climate-change approach to COVID-19 and its implications for the energy transition appears in issue 123, July 2020.

The article was coauthored together with professors Marzio Galeotti, Alessandro Lanza and Baltasar Manzano, from the University of Milan, LUISS University and University of Vigo, respectively.

In their study, the researchers argue that energy transitions have historically occurred at a very slow pace, even when climate change requires expedited action, while, in contrast, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is happening at an unprecedented speed.

“This could result in a reorganization of the economy to reduce the risk of contagion. If so, the new organization would have the potential to affect the level of energy consumption and the energy mix. Whether this rapid change is compatible with a zero-emissions economy is unclear, and there is a risk of locking in polluting technologies again. The good news is that the pandemic might accelerate the transition towards electrification, which would be the best energy carrier for the decarbonization of the economy,” they note.

Oxford Energy Forum is a publication of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, which aims to stimulate debate, especially on public policy in energy, and covers a different theme in every issue, inviting experts in the field to debate the theme through short analytical articles.

“This is a trade journal with a very broad audience and articles frequently written by  industry leaders,” Fuentes commented.

Based in the United Kingdom, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies is a renowned center, independent from the University of Oxford, specializing in advanced research on the economics and politics of international energy across oil, gas and electricity markets.

You can read the article by Fuentes here.