Energy security
Energy security refers to the link between the availability of energy resources and national security, particularly in the context of Western nations and their reliance on oil from politically unstable regions. This relationship highlights the vulnerabilities faced by countries, including the United States, stemming from potential disruptions in energy supply due to competition, political instability, terrorism, and natural disasters. Energy security is often analyzed on three levels: military concerns, domestic implications, and market price stability. The military is a major consumer of energy, especially petroleum, making it integral to national energy policy. On the domestic front, a steady energy supply is crucial for transportation and essential services, with disruptions potentially leading to significant societal impacts. Price stability in energy markets is also critical, as spikes in energy costs can threaten consumer security. In response to past crises, like the 1973 oil embargo, there has been a push toward energy diversification, including increased use of renewable sources and alternative fuels. The ongoing demand from rapidly developing economies, particularly China and India, further complicates the landscape of energy security, making it a pressing issue for global policy in the coming years.
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Energy security
Energy security describes the relationship between energy availability and national security. Increasingly, it is a term used to highlight the tenuous relationship between Western nations and countries in volatile regions that supply the bulk of the world’s petroleum. Several threats to the national security of the United States and other First World nations are related to energy issues. At the basic level, these include competition for and the manipulation of energy sources, precarious political situations in supplier states, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, and overdependence on petroleum.
Overview
Author Phillip E. Cornell outlines a three-level approach to analyzing issues of energy security. At its simplest, energy security is a military issue. For example, the US military not only enforces energy policy but also consumes the lion’s share of the nation’s energy resources, especially oil. According to the US Energy Information Administration, more than 75 percent of the energy consumed by US military operations is derived from petroleum.
Secondary, but related, to military concerns are the threats to energy security on the domestic front. Without the steady flow of energy, numerous domestic operations, including transportation and utilities, would grind to a halt, causing far-reaching and prolonged societal consequences. The third level of energy security is the stability of prices in the marketplace. As long as energy is priced reasonably, security is unthreatened; however, if prices climb dramatically, whether because of either a lack of supply or political blackmail, a consumer’s security will be threatened.
Because the United States and other Western nations consider many of the major oil-producing countries to be politically volatile, the move toward energy diversification has taken root, essentially since the oil crisis of the 1970s. In 1973, because the United States assisted Israel financially in its war against Syria and Egypt, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) declared an oil embargo, which initiated a period of inflated oil prices and damaged Western economies. Thus, countries began exploiting domestic sources of crude oil as well as implementing plans to produce alternative fuels in an effort to gain energy independence.
To improve energy security, many countries that have relied on petroleum as their primary energy source have focused on developing renewable sources of energy. Signed into law by President George W. Bush, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 addressed issues of energy security, energy conservation, and renewable resources. Its four primary provisions called for heightened fuel-economy requirements for vehicles (which included increases in the production of electric cars), elevated biofuels production, higher energy-use standards for light bulbs and appliances, and energy conservation in federal buildings, schools, and other institutions. Furthermore, the United States and other countries have sought to diversify their energy sources to increase security and have begun developing and using nuclear, biological, and other forms of fuel.
Energy security is further compromised by increasing competition from growing economies, especially those of China and India, both of which have surging demand from massive populations and burgeoning middle classes. Energy security is an issue likely to be at the forefront of international policy for the bulk of the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
Attenberg, Roger H. Global Energy Security. New York: Nova, 2009. Digital file.
Cornell, Phillip E. “Energy Security as National Security: Defining Problems ahead of Solutions.” Journal of Energy Security Feb. 2009: n. pag. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
Gheorghe, Adrian, and Liviu Muresan, eds. Energy Security: International and Local Issues, Theoretical Perspectives, and Critical Energy Infrastructure. Dordrecht: Springer Science, 2011. Print. NATO Science for Peace and Security ser. C.
Marcovitz, Hal. Energy Security. Edina, MN: ABDO, 2011. Print.
Parthemore, Christine, and John A. Nagl. Fueling the Future Force: Preparing the Department of Defense for a Post-Petroleum Era. Washington: Center for a New Amer. Security, 2010. Digital file.
Rutledge, Ian. Addicted to Oil: America’s Relentless Drive for Energy Security. New York: Tauris, 2005. Print.
Stelter, Jan, and Yuichiro Nishida. Focus on Energy Security. Paris: International Energy Agency, 2013. PDF file.
Yergin, Daniel. The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World. Rev. ed. New York: Penguin, 2012. Print.