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As an energy advisor to some of the world’s most developed economies, Fatih Birol worries about critical issues including security of energy and the impact of fossil fuels on the climate. One issue he does not spend any time worrying about, however, is carbon emissions from the oil sands.

“There is a lot of discussion on oil sands projects in Canada and the United States and other parts of the world, but to be frank, the additional CO2 emissions coming from the oil sands is extremely low,” Mr. Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency and one of the world’s foremost energy economists, said in an interview.

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As such, Mr. Birol argues that climate change issues should not serve as barriers to stunt the growth of oil sands projects.

The Paris-based agency, created 40 years ago by developed countries to counter the rising power of OPEC oil producers, advises its 28-member countries including Canada, the United States and Germany on energy security, environmental protection and economic development. The IEA’s annual World Energy Outlook report for global energy demand and supply is widely considered the industry’s global benchmark.