The Changing World Of Energy And The Geopolitical Challenges

Energy, and its corollary energy geopolitics, is more than ever a grass-roots issue in today's world. After having been threatened for 40 years with the fear of an oil shortage, we have now entered an era of fossil fuel abundance combined with an increase in demand for it. But fears do not dissipate so quickly; sustainable development is now driving energy policy. However, energy geopolitics has its own agenda. To understand its basic tenets one has to grasp the fundamental principles of energy policy. This is the aim of this series of two educational books. The first lays the foundations for an understanding of what energy is; this is essential to grasp the ideas presented in the second volume. As this demonstration goes against the grain of much conventional thinking we start with a first part dedicated to the fundamentals of energy in order to understand what it is, reviewing the essential principles of physics which are based on universal laws that never change. Then we study the basic principles of data analysis, the importance of sustainable development, and review all the various different energy sources, explaining how they are produced, the extent of their reserves, their specific markets, and the main actors. In the second volume a study of the energy geopolitics of different countries and regions ties together all this acquired knowledge and brings it into perspective allowing the reader to undertake an analysis of present-day energy geopolitics. Since the geopolitics of energy is closely linked to its evolution in the past, many references are provided to historical events which put the present situation into perspective. These educational books are packed with graphs and diagrams to help readers advance progressively in their understanding of energy geopolitics.

Volume 2 Energy, and its corollary energy geopolitics, is more than ever a grass-roots issue in today's world. After having been threatened for 40 years with the fear of an oil shortage, we have now entered an era of fossil fuel abundance combined with an increase in demand for it. But fears do not dissipate so quickly; sustainable development is now driving energy policy. However, energy geopolitics has its own agenda. To understand its basic tenets one has to grasp the fundamental principles of energy policy. This is the aim of this series of two educational books. The first lays the foundations for an understanding of what energy is; this is essential to grasp the ideas presented in the second volume. As this demonstration goes against the grain of much conventional thinking we start with a first part dedicated to the fundamentals of energy in order to understand what it is, reviewing the essential principles of physics which are based on universal laws that never change. Then we study the basic principles of data analysis, the importance of sustainable development, and review all the various different energy sources, explaining how they are produced, the extent of their reserves, their specific markets, and the main actors. In the second volume a study of the energy geopolitics of different countries and regions ties together all this acquired knowledge and brings it into perspective allowing the reader to undertake an analysis of present-day energy geopolitics. Since the geopolitics of energy is closely linked to its evolution in the past, many references are provided to historical events which put the present situation into perspective. These educational books are packed with graphs and diagrams to help readers advance progressively in their understanding of energy geopolitics.

The world is currently undergoing an historic energy transition, driven by increasingly stringent decarbonisation policies and rapid advances in low-carbon technologies. The large-scale shift to low-carbon energy is disrupting the global energy system, impacting whole economies, and changing the political dynamics within and between countries. This open access book, written by leading energy scholars, examines the economic and geopolitical implications of the global energy transition, from both regional and thematic perspectives. The first part of the book addresses the geopolitical implications in the world’s main energy-producing and energy-consuming regions, while the second presents in-depth case studies on selected issues, ranging from the geopolitics of renewable energy, to the mineral foundations of the global energy transformation, to governance issues in connection with the changing global energy order. Given its scope, the book will appeal to researchers in energy, climate change and international relations, as well as to professionals working in the energy industry.

Energy and its corollary, energy geopolitics, is a more popular issue than ever before in today’s world. After being threatened for 40 years by fears of an oil shortage, we have now entered an era of abundant fossil fuels combined with an increase in global energy demand. However, new fears of sustainable development are now at the heart of energy policy. This book lays the foundation for an understanding of what energy is and the challenges ahead. The book opens with the fundamental principles of energy, reviewing the essential principles of physics that are based on universal laws that never change. It then examines the basics of data analysis and the importance of sustainable development. With this knowledge, it is then possible to review the different energy sources (oil, gas, coal, nuclear, renewable energy, electricity and energy efficiency), explaining how they are produced, the importance of their reserves, their specific markets and the main industrial actors, and the countries that produce them. These notions are essential to understand energy policy and geopolitics. As these are closely linked to its past evolution, many references are provided to historical events that put the current situation in perspective. This educational book is full of graphs, diagrams and boxes to help the reader gradually progress in their understanding of the highly complex geopolitical nature of energy.

Global warming reveals that world energy consumption is on an unsustainable path. This updated second edition of The New Energy Crisis examines the impact of climate change on energy economics and geopolitics, exploring key issues such as energy poverty, renewable and nuclear energy, and focusing on the implications of the Fukushima crisis.

Rarely has the world's energy sector known such a complicated and fragile environment as that being experienced in 2011. Energy demand is increasing rapidly because of growth in the developing countries. It is largely met by fossil fuels : oil, natural gas and coal, and also by hydraulic and nuclear power. The use of all these forms of energy now gives rise to controversy. A year after the uncontrollable oil leaks from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, the consequences of the accident are still being debated. The development of shale gas, currently the source of half natural gas production in the United States, meets strong opposition in a number of European countries. Even more serious, the accident at Fukushima has put into question the future development of nuclear power, particularly in Europe but also in the USA. There is considerable criticism of the use of coal, which is the source for most of the energy needs in China and a number of developing countries, because of its emissions of CO2 and other pollutants. Even traditional biomass, whose use leads to deforestation and to respiratory diseases, and the development of hydraulic power are the subject of debate. How should one judge between these different energies ? How can decisions be taken between reducing consumption and increasing production ? What is the future for new renewable energies ? These are the issues at stake on the energy sector. This book appears just at the right time to provide clear and well documented replies to the questions that all of us, as energy users, are posing. How are the different forms of energy produced ? What does the future hold for them ? Who are the players active in the energy scene ? What are the supply constraints ? What is the impact of the strong growth in India and China on energy resources ? The book is in two parts. The first sets out the major characteristics of the energy sector. The second provides an analysis of the global energy issues region by region and details the geopolitical aspects. This work is well illustrated and accessible to all, as it does not require any specific prior knowledge. It will particularly interest readers seeking a global perspective of a sector that is fundamental both to our economy and also for our international policies.

This report evaluates the energy and geopolitical shifts that have arisen from the production of shale gas and light tight oil in the United States. It begins by assessing how much the unconventional energy trend has already impacted energy, geopolitics, and national security. The report then posits several possible energy futures that could emerge from the unconventionals revolution. Finally, it offers views on the major geostrategic question: how will the United States seek to utilize this, so far, domestic resource trend, and given the range of potential future energy outcomes, what might the geopolitical and national security implications be. This report pairs with three background reports, all available from Rowman & Littlefield: New Energy, New Geopolitics: Background Report 1: Energy Impacts New Energy, New Geopolitics: Background Report 2: Geopolitical and National Security Impacts New Energy, New Geopolitics: Background Report 3: Scenarios, Strategies, and Pathways

Renewables are a game changer for interstate energy relations. Their abundance and intermittency, possibilities for decentral generation and use of rare earth materials, and generally electric nature of transportation make them very different from fossil fuels. What do these geographic and technical characteristics of renewable energy systems imply for infrastructure topology and operations, business models, and energy markets? What are the consequences for the strategic realities and policy considerations of producer, consumer, and transit countries and energy-related patterns of cooperation and conflict between them? Who are the winners and losers? The Geopolitics of Renewables is the first in-depth exploration of the implications for interstate energy relations of a transition towards renewable energy. Fifteen international scholars combine insights from several disciplines - international relations, geopolitics, energy security, renewable energy technology, economics, sustainability transitions, and energy policy - to establish a comprehensive overview and understanding of the emerging energy game. Focus is on contemporary developments and how they may shape the coming decades on three levels of analysis: · The emerging global energy game; winners and losers · Regional and bilateral energy relations of established and rising powers · Infrastructure developments and governance responses The book is recommended for academics and policy makers. It offers a novel analytical framework that moves from geography and technology to economics and politics to investigate the geopolitical implications of renewable energy and provides practical illustrations and policy recommendations related to specific countries and regions such as the US, EU, China, India, OPEC, and Russia