Politics 101: What is the International Energy Agency?

October 19, 11:20 PMDallas Environmental Policy ExaminerCaroline Calais

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Dallas Environmental Policy Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

IEA Executive Director, Mr. Nobuo Tanaka.
(Photo: Alastair Miller/OECD/IEA (2009)

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris based intergovernmental organization founded in November of 1974. It acts as energy policy advisor to the U.S and 27 other member countries promoting reliable, affordable and clean energy for the world’s consumers.

Although the organization was established during the oil crisis of 1973-74 with a mandate to coordinate measures in times of oil supply emergencies, the changing energy markets have altered the IEA and the organization now focuses on energy efficiency, climate protection, energy technology collaboration and outreach to the rest of the world, especially to China, India, Russia and OPEC countries.

Still, the coordination of measurements in times of oil supply emergencies remains a core mission to the agency, and in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged oil production and refining infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico, IEA made 60 million barrels of emergency oil available to the market.