The world will need more energy, water and food by 2030 and ways must be devised to meet these without affecting the environment, a senior Shell executive has said here.
“The world will need 30% more water, 40% more energy and 50% more food to keep up with demand by 2030. And we will need to provide that additional energy, water and food in ways that reduce CO2 emissions,” said Rob Sherwin, Qatar Shell deputy country chairman.
He was addressing the 2nd Doha Carbon and Energy Forum recently. Shell served as the Gold Sponsor of the event.
“Addressing any of these resource needs, even individually, would be an immense task, let alone together as one interconnected system.”  
Sherwin said: “The Doha Carbon and Energy Forum is a valuable platform for industry and academia to promote dialogue and share ideas that might help bring solutions to these challenges.”
Over three days, the forum featured around 100 regional and Qatari experts and 40 international experts covering four main themes — energy efficiency, solar energy, carbon capture & storage (CCS) and climate change.  
In looking at the future energy challenge, Shell believes there are three actions that can be taken now to help progress society firmly on the road toward a more sustainable energy system.
First, natural gas needs to be recognised globally as having a crucial role in the energy future, one that can complement rather than compete with renewable energy.
Second, the world must recognise the crucial role of innovation brought about by investing in R&D if we are to achieve a low carbon energy future while meeting the energy requirements of future generations.
And third, we must foster multi-stakeholder collaboration to create a step change in our ability to overcome increasingly complex technical and environmental challenges.
A good example of multi-stakeholder collaboration cited by Shell is the Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre (QCCSRC).  
The new laboratories at Imperial College London are part of a $70mn, 10-year research partnership among Qatar Shell, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Science and Technology Park and Imperial College to research the storage of greenhouse gases in carbonate rock formations.
The initiative combines the international expertise of Shell, the local knowledge and reservoir expertise of Qatar Petroleum, the resources, assistance and strategic advice of Qatar Science and Technology Park, and the research strengths of Imperial College London.