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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TRANSITIONS: NAVIGATION OF COMPLEXITIES OF
GLOBAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
SUMMER 2024
Introduction
As worldwide communities are attempting to adapt to the emergent necessity of lowering
the carbon amounts in the atmosphere, addressing climate shifts, and transitioning away from
fossil energy sources in the twenty–first century, the shift to sustainable energy can be seen as
one of the biggest global accomplishments. These obstacles of this change process go beyond the
realm of technology and include significant social, economic and political factors that define the
energy solutions and processes which are adopted across every region. To be able to balance the
demand side and reliability of energy and the desire on the other end and the need on the other
end to incorporate and develop the low carbon technology, one has to know of the countless
opportunities the number of resources which available include the traditional such as the fossil
and nuclear and green energy such as the sun, wind and water. Nonetheless, this global transition
raises issues about the application of the resources the stability of the geopolitical structures and
the distribution of the energy which is a key input for growth amongst the emerging nations
across the globe. The opportunities in the progress toward sustainable energy therefore, vary
significantly by location because locations vary in what they offer, what they appreciate and how
they control.
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The most relevant example would be the case of North America because it was one of the
key regions focused on the utilization of the traditional sources of energy But North America has
been trying to embrace the generation of the green sources of energy. The energy scenario of the
continent shows both, production and consumption in big numbers because of huge resources in
form of coal, oil & natural gas. But, extracting from these traditional types of energy has several
drawbacks which include; the issue of transfer of infrastructure and the reconfiguration of
relations within the economy. The area is indicative of other global related issues in attempts to
obtain more energy security together with the questions of environment and economic
development.
North American Energy Consumption Challenges
High consumption rates and dependency on diverse types of energy sources are two
features that describe the energy context of North America. Hitherto, number one source has
been coal followed by petroleum and natural gas in helping to build this scenario. For instance,
United States of America remains one of the world’s biggest consumer of energy. This is so
because the industrial, transport and residential requirements of the country are interrelated. This
high level of energy consumption has had major impacts on the local as well as the global
markets due to its impacts on the price, supply and consequences emanating from the utilization
of fossil energy sources and its impacts on the environment. Two of the key issues thus arise for
North America, as it faces the pressure to reduce carbon emissions, how to adequately address
the demands for energy while, at the same time, maintain stability to the economy and transition
to a more sustainable energy structure.
Another important aspect, where the area is at present stands with major challenges is the
excessive utilization of Fossil fuels. Despite the increasing awareness of consequences which are
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associated with the carbon emitting energy sources, fossil fuels remain the pillars of the economy
of both the United States of America and Canada. Oil and natural gas are still used to support
energy needs in most part of the continent, and although the use of coal is declining, it remains
an important component of energy mix in some of these region. Right now there is heavy
investment in structure for all kinds of energies which is an added challenge on the way toward
renewable type of energies. There is considerable political and economic sensitivity in moving
toward low-carbon substitutes since the extraction and refining of fossil fuels are not only a
major source of employment but also provide support for many regional economies.
North American countries are putting a lot of money into solar, wind, and hydro
electricity; coincidentally, the region has been exploring the use of renewable energy sources
during the same time frame as well. Conversely, because of the modern development, renewable
energy sources can only be important as the sources of the additional total energy supply in the
present condition. It creates other challenges in the uptake of such resources by the stakeholders
and firms as they undertake activities to promote its use. The issue is that for better integration of
RESs it is required to invest in the grid, storage systems and policies. This is because the
variability issues that are associated with solar and wind power need these costs. It is rather
known that hydropower is among the resource that provides unbending and stable energy in
some quarters; at the same time, due to geographical and climatic constraints, it cannot be
considered an ideal solution for the whole of the continent.
A related factor is found in relationship between current energy consumption practices
within North America and the effects on the environment. These patterns have added more
concern for the pollution of airs and waters as well as emissions of greenhouse gasses. It is
possible to point at the fact that the method knows as hydraulic fracturing, often used for natural
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gas, implies some economic advantages. Some people also have concerns in relationship to the
environment and in health such as the impact on water table and their influence on pollution of
the ground water, impact on seismic activity. The extension of this oil sands in Canada has been
conditional with discourses on carbon emission and uses of land and the part of the region that is
hard pressed to integrate into development and conservation. As other attempts to mitigate these
environmental impact are still perceived as being opportunistic, they maintain energy security
thus remain a challenge both on the United States of America and Canada as they move further
in achieving climate goals towards reducing emission of greenhouse gases.
The issues of energy consumption in North America denote the challenges for the whole
world regarding conflict between the concern for economy growth and obtaining sustainable
result. Due to the differences in the approach towards formulation of energy policies adopted in
the various states and provinces, it is believed that the evolution of the area will be guided by a
combination of growth in regulatory frameworks, technologic advancement and changes in the
attitudes and perceptions of individuals, organizations and enterprises alike towards utilization of
energy. Taking into account all these challenges, it is possible to state that only integrated
cooperation can help to provide the concept of sustainable energy. This approach, should focus
on generating innovative policies and technologies which are endued to meet the North
American consumption patterns as well as infrastructure characteristics.
The Complicated Role of Global Coal Resources
Being one of the most used and discussed energy sources worldwide, coal remains one of
the sources of energy that may be the major challenge for those countries that aim at providing
energy security while being environmentally sustainable at the same time. There are many places
in the world today, which still heavily depend on coal as a source of energy generation even
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though the use of coal is on the decline in many parts of the world that are concerned with
reducing their carbon footprint. The use of coal, which is well known to release a vast amount of
carbon, is cited to be at the source of a considerable part of the world’s greenhouse gases. These
gases have been associated with climate change and adverse impacts on the human health within
the region. But as for the subsidies of energy sources, coal is cheapest and most easily procured
to provide energy. This is the more valid in rising nations that face urgent energy demand but
have virtually no access to technology that can produce clean power. This is why the reliance on
coal around the globe raises awareness of the spectacular intertwined dilemmas typical of energy
politics and resource utilization on a global level.
There has been a major shift from coal use in North America due to changes in legislation
that have favored natural gas and renewables, economic factors and innovation to the
environment. A number of regions, including the Appalachian region in USA, still to this date
rely heavily on coal with regard to employment and also with regard to stability of their local
economies. Due to this dependency, issues in socioeconomic facet, which are associated with the
removal of coal are demonstrated. Considering how endemic coal is to these regions,
employment opportunities decrease greatly for these workers and little development can be
created. The processes of shifting away from coal in these regions will probably require targeted
investments in training and reorientation of workforce, infrastructure, and development of new
sources of revenue as mitigation measures to reduce the impact experienced by the coal-
dependent communities.
Coal is more or less a significant factor in generation of power across the globe
particularly to nations like china and India that are at the brink of industrialization. This is mostly
because out of all the types of fuel, coal is the most common when it comes to creation of power
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in these countries as it offers a sustainable solution to the problem of energy demands which is
almost always high. Coal resources are reasonably well distributed and there are still big
resources both at the Asian, North American, and East European markets. This dependence is
further complemented by the fact that geographical distribution of coal deposits in the world.
That is reason why for most of the developing countries coal is the most available and cheapest
source to add to economic growth, industrialization, poverty eradication. Although it can be
observed that plans that over rely on coal are very expensive to the environment. These strategies
make the quality of the air to be poor, disrupt the surface of the land and lead to carbon in the
atmosphere risk factors that are so disastrous to the population and the climate change mission
altogether.
The benefits that have been voiced out to support it economically plus the various
demerits that come with the use of coal have been some of the aspects that have provoked many
internationals attempts in minimizing on the usage of coal all across the world. Among the
measures that have been taken to limit the raise of the average global temperature the Paris
Agreement can be mentioned. It also puts pressure on governments into search of other better
source of energy, other than coal. But transition from coal has not been this easy as these forces
make it sound because the political and economic systems have offered numerous obstacles.
While delivering the short term economic objectives on the one hand, most countries faced a
dilemma in achieving long term environmental objectives on the other hand. While several
countries more especially those from the European Union have recorded impressive progress in
their endeavors to reduce the dependence level on coal, there are still other countries who are
reluctant to do so because of some issues they have concerning reliability of their energy supply
and also the effect which such venture would have on their economy.
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The use of more efficient and cleaner methods of burning coal such as carbon capturing
and storing (CCS) are possible ways by which the effects of coal power could be lessened
without in any way eliminating this sort of resource. This is so because carbon capturing and
storing is the short for carbon capture and storage technology through which carbon dioxide
emissions are captured and stored. In theory it could even be the case that the carbon capturing
and storing technology used where capable of capturing the emissions released by the coal
burners before they ever get to the atmosphere. This would make it possible to use coal which is
known to be surrounded with many environmental costs. On the other hand the development and
implementation of these technologies still come with few challenges that make them costly and
bit technical to implement hence they are non-scalable especially to growing and developing
nations. It is feared that a funding of improved technology in coal plants may eliminate funds for
sustainable power and delayed more sustainable power far into the future.
The continued integration of coal into the increase of the energy basket, therefore, calls
for the incorporation of balanced transitional strategies to sustainable energy. The role which
coal provides cheap and reliable energy source remains crucial for many countries while the
environmental problems caused by it are rather significant. While there are international interests
trying to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases, the problem is to support the country fully
dependent on coal in an attempt to persuade it to switch to more sustainable technologies and
spread its energy base more broadly. There is no doubt that both the economic utility of coal for
numerous regions and the global necessity of climate crisis reduction cannot be achieved in the
absence of a balanced solution where all the aspects of the coal industry’s impact are considered.
Petroleum Geopolitics in the Middle East and North America
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The contingencies of petroleum have for a long time been a force determining geopolitics
with special attention being made to the Middle East and North America. The role of petroleum
in hegemonic strategy has brought out political enmity, economic dependence-dependency and
rapport, especially as states try to balance supply of unstable oil prices against securing energy.
Coming up with its recent production cuts aimed at seeking to or actualizing an increase in oil
prices to boost oil reliant economies especially in the countries such as Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controls the
international oil markets in the Middle East (Middle East Institute, 2023; International
Association for Energy Economics, 2023). However, since stable or even declining oil prices are
usually used to mitigate the inflation rate and ensure reasonable energy costs, the actions of
OPEC are quite often contrary to domestic socio-economic goals for oil importing countries
including the United States (Dorell, 2023; Olayele 2023).
In recent years, for instance, the US altered its domestic energy context by raising its
crude oil production through enhancing technical efficiency of horizontal drilling and hydraulic
fracturing. US is now a key-oil supplier across the globe because of these technologies after its
dependence on the Middle Eastern oil products has been significantly reduced (US EIA, 2023;
Dorell, 2023). This is part of a major change in the global oil market, because the United States
might now decisively control supply and price of energy, as well as reduce OPEC’s direct impact
over the U.S. energy policy. Nevertheless, given the connectedness of the global oil markets,
American prices persist in fluctuating in response to OPEC machinations and other global
political factors, much like the growth of domestic production. For example, latest cuts in
production activities by OPEC led to higher prices on the global markets thereby affecting
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gasoline prices in the United States and exerted inflationary pressures (International Association
for Energy Economics, 2023; Middle East Institute, 2023).
Gulf countries have tried to diversify their energy and economic partners due to
fluctuating global energy trends and, in particular, Western states’ demand for oil imported from
the Middle East. Forcing independence of the interests’ circles and economic stability in the
transformation of energy world, countries of the Middle East as Saudi Arabia and United Arab
Emirates actively develop relations with the new strategic partners, among them, China and
Russia (Middle East Institute, 2023; Dorell, 2023). Besides deepening relations with developing
countries, the given diversification helps Gulf governments diversify away from traditional
European and North American destinations. While, Middle East has now become an important
trade partner and has invested intensively in oil sector with large import of energy products to
fuel China’s rapid economic growth. Since the flavor of global energy is shifting, through these
partnerships, the Middle East countries are realigning their geopolitical might ensuring their
relevance in the international stage (U.S Energy Information Administration 2022; Middle East
Institute 2022). This strategic change has many implications of a geopolitical character. A new
dynamic that has the potential to change balances of power and influence energy security, is the
relations between Middle Eastern oil producers and such countries as China and Russia. Even as
the domestic output has risen, the United nations faces strategic challenges as the gulf nations
strengthen their non-western tie-ups. The United States should consider such trends and how that
reconfiguration of conventional energy relations may require reorientation of its diplomacy
(Olayele, 2023; International Association for Energy Economics, 2023). In addition, with the
shift of American and Middle Eastern dynamics in an attempt to find ways in which to maintain
energy security in a bipolar world, this paradigm shift may well affect future energy policy.
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The global relations in the energy sector can be revealed by analyzing the competitive
and at the same time cooperative relations between the North American and the Middle Eastern
countries in particular, in the petroleum sector. For instance, the United States must accept that
levels of production in the Middle East dictate price of oil on the international market, meaning
that despite efforts towards attaining energy autonomy, the nation cannot afford to disengage
with the region diplomacy. Therefore, Middle Eastern nations that seek to sustain their effect on
the global economy through the formation of new affiliations and investments in emerging
markets as China are required to address their own needs and those of global economy (Middle
East Institute, 2023; U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2023). This kind of interaction
reflects an entire shift of the world’s balance of power given the fact that energy policies are not
only means of resource utilization anymore, but they also serve as tools of economic and
geopolitical contention.
Since every region is at different stages of the current energy transformation, it is
expected there will be more competition in the future for the geopolitics of petroleum in the
Middle East and North America. If Middle Eastern countries aim to remain competitive, they
would generate and implement more flexible economic development strategies which would
make their energy policies less rigid, while, on the other hand, the United States would continue
to invest in renewable power sources as well as in all the other types of power sources that will
help it minimize its dependence on imported oil. The novelty of the relations between the
world’s energy markets and the flexibility, which is required to meet the geopolitical imperatives
and commercial goals, are also evident in the changing connection (Dorell, 2023; Olayele, 2023).
The relations between North America and Middle East will continue to define the nature and
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course of energy policy as well as international relations in the future as countries aim at
reducing carbon footprint, and global energy demand shifts.
Navigating Natural Gas Tensions in Russia and the Middle East
Consequently, due to such a geopolitical reality, primarily Europe, Russia, Middle East,
the global natural gas market is currently experiencing stress level that was never felt before it. A
reduction of gas supply by Russia to the Europe has led to several crises which brings more
competition towards LNG and the prices factor on energy has raised to the highest level
(International Energy Agency [IEA], 2023). And, therefore, the European nations are gradually
seeking other supplies sources, to state with such spare products as the United States of America,
Qatar and the countries within the Eastern Mediterranean region this gap created by the reduction
supplies by Russia (S&P Global, 2022). This search for new energy sources is an instance of a
bigger transition that is happening in the international gas market. Governments of the regions
are consciously adjusting their demands for energy and signing power purchase agreements for
the future to avoid fluctuations.
Perhaps little can be overdone in terms of the impact that Russia has brought to the
energy sector in Europe. Foreign Policy Research Institute (2023) established that European
countries have over the years relied so much on Russian gas. For instance, Germany was getting
over forty percent of its natural gas needs from Russia before the outbreak of the war. Though
the reaction of the European union to the conflict in the Ukraine including imposition of broad
sanctions led to reciprocal measures being taken by Russia that limited the flow of natural gas to
the continent. This has created a demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Europe which has
forced investors to build LNG import terminals and enter long term supply contracts with LNG
suppliers from countries apart from Russia (IEA, 2022). As noted by the International Energy
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Agency, these changes illustrate a strategic move that Europe is undertaking in order to defend
itself against further supply shocks (S&P Global, 2022).
The nature of development of natural gas production and export in the Middle East is
changing to regional ambitions and perceived threats to national security. Israel and Egypt are
investing themselves as stable and reliable suppliers for the European market focusing on
proximity to the European market and development of LNG related infrastructure in the Eastern
Mediterranean. Egypt has large LNG processing plants through which it can export gas after
processing it in a liquid state to Europe (Foreign Policy Research Institute, 2023). Discussions
with Egypt support this shift as Egypt possesses these capabilities. The agency International
Energy Agency (IEA), having introduced this new development, proclaimed that the Middle East
has a good potential in the global gas market and can help Europe to minimize its relationships
with energy resources from Russia.
Even as natural gas supply gains such improvements, natural gas supplies in the Middle
East still face challenges attributable to security complications regarding this region and the
infrastructure which is still under development. Although Israeli, Egyptian, and other states in
the Eastern Mediterranean have capacities to construct the area as an option gas center, these
cohesive enterprises could be destabilized by continuing geopolitical tensions that are still
unresolved. For instance, in the situation when countries such as Israel and Lebanon are
struggling over the setting of maritime border there, the growth of energy becomes uncertain.
Such uncertainty may hinder the rise of production and threaten future gas deliveries to Europe
(Foreign Policy Research Institute, 2023). In addition, the Middle East exporters see Europe as
their strategic market breaks while facing enormous competition from competing Asian markets-
notably China and Japan who are also ruthlessly churning around the dependable LNG supplies
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from different global regions. Since the onset of the Russia and Ukraine conflict, this has been a
more bitter competition. This is so because Asian countries are seeking to engage in the purchase
of fixed, episodic LNG contracts to satisfy energy needs where storage capabilities and supply
global are limited (IEA, 2023).
Unfortunately, the increase in the reliance on the gas from the Middle East is taking pace
when this region of the world is faced with such internal challenges as determining how much of
it is required for its own consumption and how much for export. To ensure that they meet
national and international commitments enough production requirements must be met by the
energy policymakers of nations that export LNG globally such as Qatar (S&P worldwide, 2022).
This balance is much more challenging given the capacity constraints found in the regional
systems already in place. While the countries of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other states
of the Gulf are beefing up their expenditures in LNG facilities, construction of new related
infrastructure that will meet demand in Europe, takes time, and means a large capital investment,
in terms of finance. For this reason, the International Energy Agency (2022) stated there is an
infrastructure limitation that could affect Europe’s diversification from Russian gas.
Besides, there are several other geopolitical consequences that can be linked to change of
the European market’s direction towards the Middle East gas. Although this change allows
Europe to move away from depending on a single source of energy, it comes with new
dependency, as well as risks. There has been a long-standing tradition of Middle East being a
region that is characterized by strategic conflict and it has strategic politics that are ever shifting
and there are ever emerging and recurrent battles. By deepening dependence on gas supplied
from the Middle East Europe is probably exposing itself to security risks associated with the
region. Among such risks are risky relations with terrorist groups, instabilities in political fields,
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and territorial disputes. For instance, the new drone attacks on the energy infrastructure in Saudi
Arabia showed that regional turbulence can lead to disruptions in supplies. These disruptions can
have major implications for the energy security of Europe (Foreign Policy Research Institute, p.
2023). The decision European has made to go for the secondary source of gas imported from
Russia to Middle East is therefore a well calculated. This decision ensures stability because
while it will apply pressure on the company to look for other suppliers it also understands that
the geopolitics of the Middle East are complicated in the long term (S&P Global, 2022).
Europe’s plan has bigger implications in the global energy competition, which is because
Asian countries, particularly China, will keep posing large demands for the big ticket LNG deals
in the Middle East to secure energy for themselves. The regional gas markets and GCC
government’s oil and gas assets are benefiting from China’s Belt and Road Initiative that has
refocused infrastructure investments and partnership ties (IEA, 2023). The increasing
involvement of Chinese companies in Middle Eastern oil sector could even decrease the chance
for Europeans to secure long term beneficial deals. This is perhaps because Gulf producers may
have to opt for collaborations with China which is an economic giant and an enduring partner
(S&P Global, 2022). The end consequence is a new global battle for LNG with Europe and Asia
scrapping for the rapidly dwindling supply. The effects of this competition are that it threatens to
increase the costs and destabilize energy security of these two regions as elucidated by the
Foreign Policy Research Institute (2023).
The natural gas tensions that are now occurring aptly demonstrate that Europe and the
Middle East are going to have to handle these new dependences with care for the foreseeable
future. Efficient energy security is moving Europe closer to its goal of diversification away from
Russian gas; however, the risks inherent in sourcing most gas from the Middle East must be
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managed through investment in infrastructure and the procurement of supplies via the
establishment of source-buffer-source chains. Newly industrialized middle eastern nations, on
the other hand receive both economic and political advantages with their new capacity to
manipulate global gas markets. They too find the problem of the challenge of providing a reliable
source of supply as the demand rises globally and concerns over volatility in security in the
regions. Both regions are trying to achieve a balance between their energy–demands and the
turbulence of the geopolitics (IEA, 2022; Foreign Policy Research Institute, 2023). Given that
this connection is so complex it would be expected that diplomatic interaction and cooperation
may be ongoing.
North American Energy Resurgence
With regards to the transformation of the global energy markets, which has taken place
over the last twenty years, the key reason was the revival of energy production in North America
and, in the first turn, in the United States. The development of un conventional oil and gas
resource especially the shale oil and natural gas has been part of this current renaissance. The
United States of America has produced big reserves mainly due to technologies such as hydraulic
fracking and horizontal drilling or fracking. This has led to extensive improvement of the amount
of energy produced within this nation (United States). As a result, North America has become
one of the world’s leading producers of energy, which affected the energy picture not only of the
region but also of the world as a whole (Kemp, 2021; Yergin, 2020).
Bamberger and Osherenko’s study from 2020 showing that USA has surpassed both
Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the global leader in the production of oil and natural gas.
These technical enhancements together with the fact that the country has shown to possess large
shale resources has enabled it to reduce import dependency of energy in a big way. By the year
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2020, the United States of America had shifted from becoming an importer of oil to an exporter
of oil and this have always affected the energy markets (EIA, 2022). This change also ensured
energy security to the United States as it also put the country on the international energy map,
especially on exports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as well. Hatick the United States in set to
become the main supplier of LNG to Europe, as was pointed out in a survey conducted by the
International Energy Agency (IEA in the year 2023). This is even more so if we consider the fact
that Europe is in the process of diversifying its sources of energy supply that comes from Russia.
Generation of energy in North America has also effective and has new born economic
advantages. Especially in the states and regions including Texas, Pennsylvania, and North
Dakota, the oil industry has been creating hundreds of thousands of employments. Employment
generation has also ripple effects throughout impacting other industries including transport,
manufacturing industries and the service sectors (Kemp, 2021). Due to lower energy expenses,
the industrial growth has been encouraged. Large power using industries like chemical industry,
the steel industry and cement industry have been able to access the natural gas at more cheap
prices. The United States Chamber of Commerce (2021) says that the energy boom has not only
helped to support the revival of areas that were struggling but also offer a competitive advantage
to manufacturers in the United States and thus, a cost edge that’s reshaping the very fabric of
international business.
There are obvious economics related with the revival of the oil and the gas industry
across North America, which has massive environmental consequences in spite of the numerous
economic opportunities linked to the boom in oil and gas production across North America
hydraulic fracturing has raised some noteworthy concerns and questions regarding the
environmental impacts. Such problems are most acute for concerns with respect to the
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consumption of water in particular, pollution of groundwater, and the risk of Agile (Vengosh et
al., 2014). This misconception that natural gas is cleaner than other forms of fossil fuels like coal
is that while burning natural gas create less pollution than either burning oil or coal, extracting
and distributing oil and natural gas has boosted leakage of methane – a greenhouse gas that is
thousands of times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. This is
the finding with the help of Howarth (2019) who says some people believe that the
environmental risks of this kind pose some challenges for the USA as for the climate objectives
and transition to the greener power system. Too much analysis done by Union of Concerned
Scientists in 2020 shows that the methane emissions that are associated with the fracking
industry has the potential to erase the climatic benefits that come with the shift from coal to
natural gas. This is the situation if and only if timely appropriate measures to reduce its impact
are undertaken.
The business sector has made significant progress in terms of technology innovation in
order to solve these environmental challenges. The environmental footprint of shale oil and gas
production has been lowered as a result of the development of green completions, which are
designed to collect methane during the fracking process, as well as the growing use of water
recycling in fracking operations (Bamberger & Osherenko, 2020). Despite the fact that these
methods have decreased emissions and water consumption, the total effect that large-scale shale
extraction has on the environment is still a matter of continuous discussion (Vengosh et al.,
2014). As a result, North America is confronted with a precarious balancing act meaning despite
the fact that hydraulic fracturing has resulted in a substantial economic benefit and increased
energy security, the long-term viability of these methods has to be considered in the perspective
of larger climate objectives.
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Even from the global perspective they are also upsetting the ‘game’ and the North
American energy rebound is also influencing the geopolitics together with the global energy
security. Over the years, the United States of America has increasingly developed its capabilities
as a diplomatically active state in the energy domain due to increased oil and natural gas
production. For instance the United States has been able to intensify its power partnership with
countries that buy energy especially those in Europe and Asia because it can export LNG.
Similarly, the United States has been helpful to Europe in this respect too to gain more energy,
especially after Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has increased the volume of LNG
exported to the region. One aspect of this development thus has been diversification and
speculation that has given Europe more flexibility and muscularity in front of unpredictable
external relations to the detriment of Europe’s dependence on Russian energy blackmail.
That has, however, placed North America at the center of a very competitive global LNG
market by virtue of an energy renaissance on the continent. USA has been bidding for the market
share and long term contracts against some nations such as Qatar and Australia (Yergin, 2020). It
began to rise when there was growing use of LNG, particularly in Asia. The energy exports in
the USA of this new age of energy geopolitical structures has therefore been used in a manner
that enhances the US control over the movement of resources in the global sphere. Analyzing the
information from the article of Bamberger and Osherenko (2020), one can learn that the newly
emerged role of an energy exporter has not only reshaped the economics of energy markets but
also shifted the power balance in the global management of energy.
The Past, Present, and Future of Nuclear Power
There is good news and there is bad news when discussing nuclear power; the good news
is that it is potentially one of the most unlimited forms of energy on the planet, the bad news is
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that its drawback may lead to a catastrophic disaster. When nuclear fission discovery in the early
part of the twentieth century, people were thankful that they have got the solution to the energy
crises. When the first nuclear reactors were built in mid 1940s there was expectation that they
would eventually be used to fuel civilian commerce. The 1950s saw efforts at nations like the US
and the USSR to achieve energy independence and a newfound scientific standing. Yet if nuclear
technology could well be applied to war like purposes and for clearly definable constructive
objectives this was bound to become a complication as the Cold War developed. Concerns have
continued up to today since the 1979 Three Mile Island disaster in Pennsylvania, USA which
brought out the dangers of nuclear energy, and stalled the industry in the United States
(Sovacool, 2020).
Nuclear energy has therefore become a multidimensional element in the contemporary
global energy systems. Most countries worldwide have either phased out nuclear energy, or
significantly decreased its usage, albeit, some countries such as China and Russia have continued
to expand their nuclear power. The Fukushima Daiichi incident in 2011 suggested another time
that nuclear power is deadly and averted broad functional scrutiny by society and government.
As a result, for instance, Germany made a brazen move of aggressively committing to the
elimination of nuclear energy. Most of the benefits of nuclear power such as the potential to
reduce the levels of greenhouse gases cannot be just easily dismissed amid the current climatic
change. Reviewing existing knowledge from a 2023 IEA research, even if safety and
development of many technologies is considered, nuclear power may still provide 12-15% of the
world energy mix by 2050 (IEA, 2023). Such a situation has enshrined nuclear power in the
twenty-first century as being optimistic but scientifically improved and resistant.
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The future of nuclear power then hinges on two key factors political will and the
technology. Nuclear power is now cheaper and safer due largely to improvements in reactor
designs including small modular reactors (SMRs) and thorium reactors. For example, SMRs can
be developed flexibly and are not concentrated in one place as it might solve the problems and
dangers of traditional stations for the production of electricity. It is clear that there are
disadvantages in these trends too. These political and regulatory challenges remain still
significant even though other aspects of technology advancements continue to suggest the
possibility of a safer and cleaner nuclear. For nuclear development, the governments required to
demonstrate the necessary vision and the financial resources and level of international
cooperation. It remains to be seen whether this means that a paradigm change in support for
nuclear energy is possible as the divide between the population is still clear. As important as that
is it raises a far more pivotal question, which is whether nuclear power factorized political
barriers and historical risks to be a meaningful player in global clean energy initiative.
Some general questions connected with the points of ethical and environment disposable
to the nuclear energy also stir some significant questions about the future of nuclear energy. The
other such issues are exposure of foreign policy and even long term storage of radioactive
leakages where its effect may be haunting for thousands-if not hundred- of years. Is it possible to
challenge the necessity to address some concern as very hazardous waste, with an argument that
nuclear energy is clean? There are new techniques in long-term waste disposal, attributable to
instance, the Onkalo site in Finland but as has been seen, such endeavors are still being
undertaken in an isolated manner, and are usually the subject of criticism. Moreover, there are
public interests in the context of merit of the gain and pains of nuclear power in the society. For
instance the natives in Canada, Australia and other countries have expressed their concern on the
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social effects of uranium mining. This takes us to a key question when nuclear power is to be
defined as sustainable in the true sense of the given term– distribution of costs. These are still
some of the concerns we still have as we look to the future in that nuclear power has to be seen
in relation to such aspects as the environmental justice and intergenerational equity.
Without doubt, nuclear power has its political yardstick of desire, progress and discourse
that spirals over its history, present and future. Earlier nuclear power was associated with the
level of technical development but the accidents and problem with the environment has put an
end to the interest. It is an uncertain player among the world energy systems which stipulations
for emissions reduction can be balanced with its risks and obstacles. Nuclear power still retains
the ability to deliver a much required contribution to the future diversification of the world’s
energy resources only if future technical prospects are met by fresh commitment on the part of
equity, safety and public confidence. The future of Nuclear energy is unknown right now, if the
society is willing to discuss the ethical, technological and political implications of nuclear
energy, the source could play an important role in the solving of the energy issue toward
sustainable development. The probability of having a sustainable source of Energy but for
humanity to ask itself whether society can afford nuclear energy.
Diversifying the Energy Mix with Hydropower, Solar, Wind, and Emerging Technologies
The tendency for hydropower, solar, wind and other new technologies as the source of
energy supply is recognized as a good approach to energy security and environmental
components. Hydropower, which today is ranking third in the global electricity market and
indicates constant growth, therefore, is still at the base of many national energy programs. For
example; Brazil and Norway have been able to attain higher degrees of hydropower realization
given superior amounts of this commodity. Thanks to the electrical generating technology
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hydropower is ranked for its reliability, efficiency and dispatchable characteristic power within
the shortest time possible where load fluctuation occurs (Sovacool, 2023). However, the use of
this resource is progressively becoming limited by environ and social challenges that are
associated with the effects of hydropower large dams. This has led to creative a new definition
on what energy diversification strategies mean, thus incorporating more forms of renewable
inputs.
As main sources for the diversification of energy mix, which provides a huge and
gradually increasing cost for energy demand other than the fossil fuels, solar and wind energy
take an important place in the SH Gas strategy. In the current world, the cost of solar
photovoltaic has reduced greatly and could be afforded by many countries within the world
especially those within the Middle East and some parts of Africa (IEA, 2023). Similar to wind
energy, offshore wind too has gained significant momentum in countries like Denmark and
especially the United Kingdom because of favorable wind conditions that make a reliable source
of power. It considers these technologies as crucial to reducing greenhouse gases and fossil fuel
consumption. Solar and wind energy has challenge in relation to the provision of power since
they are only available in occasional or sometimes partial supply. The principal materials in
power generation are sunlight and wind; thus, it is difficult to ensure that energy will always be
produced.
In doing so, new solutions that incorporating energy storage and smart grid as global
priorities of the future arise. There is a high likelihood of using energy storage solutions, with
focus on large-scale battery systems with regard to storage of excess energy produced during
periods of high availability to release the energy in periods of high demand and low renewable
generation. Advances in hydrogen fuel cell technologies are also another possible solution since
23
it is relatively easy to store hydrogen for extended intervals as a fuel means in the transport and
industrial sectors. One of the important ingredients that make up smart grids such as the
application of digital technology in the distribution of power is another critical factor in the
stabilizing the energy mix. These technologies provide more possibilities in impacting the grid’s
operations and guarantee that renewable sources of energy can be utilized at optimum when
production is an issue (Baker et al., 2024).
Hydropower with the addition of contemporary solar and wind alternatives and
hybridization with new developments form a powerful package to enhance the energy security
and sustainability of the power system. Hydropower remains useful and relevant especially
where it most effective, but it must be considered with solar, wind and storage since they are
responsive to the new issues of intermittency and system balance. Several technologies are
transferring the energy sector towards the future where different energy sources can be integrated
on the level of distribution network, thus facilitating the transition to the energy system with
higher proportion of green sources and enhanced flexibility of distribution infrastructure. These
different technologies can only be fully accepted to decrease global dependence in fossil energy
sources and in this way decrease climate change impacts while at the same time increase energy
security in the world.
This vision is not completely without its challenges because current political, economic
and social issues still make the use of renewable energies a dream. There are challenges in most
nations as they are institutional challenges including closeness to the fossil fuel industry special
interests power, insufficient funds, and outdated legislation. This is critical mainly because on
average energy supplies are not evenly distributed and for this several regions might not generate
ample power to achieve energy security. Addressing these four challenges calls for coalition
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building with government, business and civil society to set policy frameworks, to allocate
resources and to create physical infrastructure which is needed to support such changes. The
realization of this energy diversification vision will therefore be premised on technology
evolution as well as sovereigns’ willingness to finance a renewable, fair and prosperous energy
future (UNEP, 2023).
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