Preparing for the future

When all three of the most powerful drivers of the energy world—demand, supply, and effects on the environment—are set to undergo significant change, the energy industry faces an era of revolutionary transitions and considerable turbulence. And while prices and technology will drive some of these transitions, political and social choices will be critical.

Shell has been using energy scenarios for nearly 40 years to explore possible developments in the future of energy and to test strategies against those potential developments. Decision makers can use scenarios to think about the uncertain aspects of the future that worry them most, to discover the aspects about which they should be concerned, and to explore ways in which these aspects might unfold.

Shell has identified two energy scenarios which address the same important questions and include those aspects of the future that are likely to persist. Each one describes a different way in which the uncertain aspects could play out.

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