Scott Foster

“It’s not the technology that’s the problem, it’s the way that humans use and organise themselves around it”

Scott Foster is director of the Sustainable Energy Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Appointed to the role in 2011, he manages the UN’s development and delivery of its energy program on behalf of all 56 European member states. In this conversation, he describes how the pandemic has provided an opportunity to re-evaluate energy efficiency from source to use — to improve quality of life and further economic development; considers the role that fossil fuels will play in a sustainable energy system; and explains the significant impact the built environment and transport sector will play in achieving key climate and energy targets, as drivers of decarbonization.