The Special Session of the 2018 Vienna Energy Forum convened on Monday, 14 May, in plenary session and high-level roundtables with the participation of over 430 attendees. The Special Session breaks the bi-annual cycle of the Forum in order to provide feedback on SDG 7 (energy) to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
During the morning plenary, focusing on the transformation of energy systems, participants heard Jeremy Rifikin, Foundation on Economic Trends, describing the energy transition as humanity’s third economic revolution, which he said was founded on the convergence of decarbonization, decentralization and digitization of transport. Panelists discussed challenges and opportunities in several regions, including energy access, energy efficiency, the EU clean energy package, and private sector considerations.