Energy, Water and Resource Scarcity

All Pages in this Section

Energy

• Timothy Boon von Ochssée: Mackinder and Spykman and the new world energy order
• Timothy Boon von Ochssée: Russia and the US in a New World Energy Order
• David Criekemans: Geopolitics of energy and the role of Russia in global power shifts
• David Criekemans: The geopolitics of renewable energy
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Arctic Geopolitics 1 - oil and gas exploration, Northwest Passage, climate change
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Arctic Geopolitics 2 - Russia's territorial claims, UNCLOS, the Lomonosov Ridge
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Russian gas 1 - export potential, EU demand and energy market deregulation
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Russian gas 2 - Russia's strategy, Gazprom and foreign investments
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Russian gas 3 - Nord Stream, South Stream and Nabucco pipelines
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Russian gas 4 - national interests undermine EU energy security (conclusion)
• Elmar Hellendoorn: External problems for Europe’s energy policy - A brief geopolitical analysis
• Andrea Teti: Middle East - resource scarcity, hydrocarbons and hydropolitics

Energy - external links

• Energy Security

Energy - world maps

• Leonhardt van Efferink: Gas - largest reserves and major producers
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Non-renewable energy resources - fossil fuels, uranium, coal
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Nuclear Energy - power plants, construction plans and the largest producers
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Oil - Largest reserves and major producers
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Renewable energy resources - Hydropower and Bioethanol

Natural resources - external links

• Natural Resource Disputes - The Arctic
• Natural Resource Disputes - Spratly Islands

Natural resources - world maps

• Leonhardt van Efferink: Agricultural commodities - cocoa, coffee, cotton, cacao, palm oil, soy, tea
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Mining commodities - gold, silver, copper, iron ore, diamonds, bauxite

Water resources

• Arjen Hoekstra: Water - its virtual form, national footprints and global economy
• Linda Johnston: Water Resources Management and Conflict Transformation
• Frédéric Lasserre: Water scarcity, conflicts and global warming
• Arjen Hoekstra: Water - its virtual form, national footprints and global economy
• Linda Johnston: Water Resources Management and Conflict Transformation
• Frédéric Lasserre: Water scarcity, conflicts and global warming

More information about pictured books

After clicking with left mouse button on book cover, an Amazon page (or publisher's) with book info appears in a new browser window.

Introduction and recent updates

Introduction

The Energy, Water and Resource Scarcity section addresses issues related to energy security, fresh water and natural resource disputes.

The 28 contributions to this section answer questions such as:

• What is the impact of climate change on the local availability of natural resources?
• Why does water scarcity affect political stability?
• What role does energy play in the world order?

Geopolitics of the Arctic

December 2011

Leonhardt van Efferink, the editor and PhD student at Royal Holloway (University of London), introduces key geopolitical aspects of the Arctic such as climate change, oil and gas exploration opportunities and Russia's territorial claims:

Leonhardt van Efferink: Arctic Geopolitics 1 - oil and gas exploration, Northwest Passage, climate change

Leonhardt van Efferink: Arctic Geopolitics 2 - Russia's territorial claims, UNCLOS, the Lomonosov Ridge

"In all, Russia’s recent actions regarding the Arctic reflect its appreciation of international law and a willingness to negotiate to settle border disputes while concurrently revealing a tendency to use military activity and strong language to bolster its territorial claims."

Renewable energy

April 2011

Dr. David Criekemans is Research-co-ordinator, Senior Researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. In this publication, he discusses the geopolitics of renewable, sustainable and traditional energy sources:

David Criekemans: The geopolitics of renewable energy

"Within Geopolitics, it is recognized that the energy regime of the global system and the energy relations between producer countries, transit countries and consumer countries are important variables which can influence international relations. The factor ‘location’ –where the energy resources are, and via which routes can they be brought to (potentially rival) consumer countries– constitutes an important area of study within the field of Geopolitics."

Russia-EU gas relations

October 2010

In an article that consists of four parts, the editor discusses the role of Russian gas in the EU. He elaborates on matters such as the internal EU gas market, Gazprom and pipelines:

Leonhardt van Efferink: Russian gas 1 - export potential, EU demand and energy market deregulation

"National governments of the larger and powerful EU states still consider energy security a national interest, not be delegated to a supranational body. The EU gas market seems likely to remain fragmented, providing Gazprom the opportunity to continue implementing its strategy on national gas markets."

Recommended contributions

Globalization of Water

December 2009

Arjen Hoekstra, professor in Water Management at University of Twente, obtained his PhD degree in Policy Analysis at Delft University of Technology.

Professor Hoekstra addresses many timely topics. What country has the largest national footprint? Why needs water to have a value? Which countries are very dependent on water-intensive commodities?

Arjen Hoekstra: Water - its virtual form, national footprints and global economy

"Freshwater issues should really be considered in a global context. Local water depletion and pollution are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy. Water is often used to produce exported goods."

Water scarcity and conflicts

May 2009

Professor Frédéric Lasserre of Laval University Quebec is an expert in the geopolitics of water and co-author of "Eaux et territoires". In an interview with ExploringGeopolitics, he shares his views on topics such as water conflicts, international law, water demand and supply and climate change:

Frédéric Lasserre: Water scarcity, conflicts and global warming

"In the Middle East, or in Central Asia or in India, in the Cauvery basin, water disputes turned to be extremely tense or even erupted into violence, not merely because there were disputes about water sharing, but also because the tensions took place between in a frame of broader tensions: territorial disputes, border disputes, rivalry between States."

The new energy world order

July 2007

Timothy Boon von Ochssée (researcher at Clingendael International Energy Programme and PhD candidate) published two articles about the new energy world order. One discusses the relationship between Russia and the US:

Timothy Boon von Ochssée: Russia and the US in a New World Energy Order

"In the new and still-evolving post-Cold War environment Europe as a geographic area can be seen as a geopolitical battlefield between on the one hand the US and Russia on the other."