NS4960 Summer Term 2019 Fuels Paradise, Chapter 1 The Puzzle: Diverse Responses to Energy Insecurity

Overview 1970s saw a big increase in concerns over energy security Major countries undertook major reviews of their energy policies Initiated significant changes As in 1970s 2000s saw proposals for additional efforts within International Energy Agency (IEA), NATO, and the European Union (EU) Two periods not that comparable 1970s concern mainly over high oil prices and uncertainty about supplies 2000s much more diverse concerns

Diversity of Concerns U.S. focus continued to be on reducing dependence on foreign oil France it was aging nuclear power plants U.K. the problem was how to manage transition from self-sufficiency in fossil to being a net importer of oil, and especially gas Germany energy security worries centered on the reliability of foreign natural gas supplies, especially from Russia As a result of these differences the responses varied considerably

Different Approaches I Despite common interests in energy efficiency and diversifying energy supplies significant differences in approaches Emphasis on government intervention Market liberalization, Nuclear power, Renewable energy sources and Foreign policy initiatives Even in the 1970s developed democracies responded to energy insecurity in different ways Distinct mixes of external and internal policy instruments to address their concerns

Differences in Approaches II Major differences in Development and promotion of alternatives to oil, such a as nuclear power and gas The reduction of energy consumption, energy efficiency Stances toward the oil-export regions of world especially in Persian gulf Differences reflect limited degree of cooperation even under the IEA wich was established expressly for that purpose

Objectives I Puzzling patterns were the motivation for the book, which has three main objectives First, describe in comparative perspective how major developed democracies have responded to concerns over energy security What particular energy security problems have the countries faced? What policy options have they had at their disposal? What choices among those options have they made?

Objectives II Second is to provide a theoretically informed explanation of state responses to energy security both across space and over time Why have the major developed democracies made—and not made– particular choices? What factors best account for the principal similarities and differences in their approaches and policies Of particular interest is understanding the reasons fro the observed variations in state responses.

Objectives III Third purpose is to explore the implications of these response and their determinants – especially for international cooperation to promote energy security What are the prospects for, and principal obstacles to cooperation at the regional and global levels? What degree to they face common problems that lend themselves to joint approaches? In what ways could differences in their concerns and preferred policy responses limit their ability to work together? Book primarily concerned with state responses to energy security

Main Arguments Book makes four broad arguments. First concerns the determinants of policy responses to energy security Emphasis is on the strength of the state Second addresses the impact of earlier policy choices on later energy security concerns and policy decisions So-called policy legacies – path dependence. Third relates to the obstacles to international cooperation to promote energy security and Fourth regards the impact of recent developments in the production and distribution of energy especially the fracking revolution on the prospects for achieving energy security