It is now over a year ago since talks in Copenhagen failed to produce the much anticipated global deal on carbon dioxide reduction commitments. Nevertheless, it can never have been more clear that one of the key questions facing us in the next 50 years will be that of equity in the supply of and access to the earth's resources, especially with regard to energy. As demands for energy increase globally and as the rate of increase in demand varies widely, there will be greater pressures on the supply side of our energy balance sheet, with increasing energy insecurity felt around the globe. Coupled to this is the impact on our climate of the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels to supply our energy demands. The result is an intricate mix of interconnected causal relationships that go to the heart of our societies and aspirations for development.
This thought-provoking publication examines three basic tenets of these inter-relationships between energy and climate: that as we move to place greater demands on our energy supply, we necessarily become more energy insecure; that as we move into more unstable periods with respect to climate change we will also become more insecure with respect to peace and development; and that to find a route through these two scenarios we will require good global governance, thoughtful leadership and preventive diplomacy.
The editors of this collection have brought together 32 contributors, all of whom are experts in their fields and geographical regions, to present 24 articles and papers on these three themes. The result is a well-balanced account of the current state of our collective understanding of the issues facing us in relation to energy and climate security.
The publication will appeal to a wide variety of individuals and is recommended to all who are working to find mitigative solutions to our current problems in climate and energy.
