Energy policy: old baggage

The concept of Energy Policy, developed in the OECD in the 1970s, is now of little use and should be discarded. The policies which affect the energy sector can be better understood under the broader heading of energy governance. The energy sector today is governed not only by governments (and certainly not only by OECD governments) but also by business self-government, non-governmental organisations and investors. Their objectives are driven from outside the energy sector, by policies on economic reform, protection of human health and natural ecosystems (including the climate) and the development objectives endorsed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development