Overview
Français
ABSTRACT
The geopolitics of energy has long been, and still is, largely a geopolitics of oil. Indeed, most transport depends on petroleum products. Yet oil resources are very unevenly distributed: the Middle East has over 50% of proven reserves, while Europe and Asia, major consumers, have practically exhausted their reserves. Natural gas is also a source of tension, as demonstrated by the virtual stoppage of supplies to Europe from Russia. Geopolitical stakes are rising around the development of renewable energies, and the technology and raw materials needed to build wind turbines and solar panels. Of course, the energy transition and the gradual switch to "decarbonized" energies are changing the strategies of the players involved.
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHOR
-
Jean-Pierre FAVENNEC: Professor, Consultant
INTRODUCTION
For a long time, energy was supplied mainly by animal and human power, wood burning, and then by water and windmills. Until the 18th century, with the invention of the steam engine and the use of coal, energy was consumed close to where it was produced, so there were no geopolitical issues at stake. These issues remained limited with coal, insofar as deposits were fairly well distributed and only a few countries consumed substantial quantities.
On the other hand, the massive use of oil from the beginning of the 20th century very quickly raised the problem of how to control black gold resources. 90% of road, air and sea transport is carried out using petroleum products, and warfare is based on the use of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil. The geopolitics of energy has long been a geopolitics of oil. More recently, natural gas and, very recently, electricity have led to tensions between countries. The development of renewable energies also poses problems of access to raw materials and technologies, which are the subject of competition.
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
gas | oil | renewable energies | shale gas
EDITIONS
Other editions of this article are available:
This article is included in
Energy resources and storage
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
A new geopolitics of energy
What kind of energy for the 21st century?
Bibliography
Organizations
IAE International Energy Agency https://www.iea.org
EIA/DOE Energy Information Administration – Department of Energy https://www.eia.gov
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
