The Geopolitics of Energy Security

Abstract

This panel examines how energy security has evolved from a concept concerned, at the level of international politics, with questions of how to ensure secure supplies of oil and gas, to also include evolving questions about what types of fuels states, corporations and individuals can expect to be reliant on over the longer term as the global mix of energy supplies is being transformed. This transformation relates to concerns about the impact of fossil fuels on climate change, the emergence of unconventional sources of energy, the response of major suppliers to shifts in the energy/climate landscape, and the more traditional issues of how political and economic relations between suppliers and consumers affect energy security. Papers will address these issues either from a global perspective or by means of more focussed case studies including, among others, topics such as the US shale revolution, the EU’s efforts to ensure its energy security, shifts in Russia’s energy policies, and the future of Chinese energy demand.