A New Geopolitics of Energy

For a long time, energy was supplied mainly by animal and human power, wood burning, and then by water and windmills. Until the 18th century, with the invention of the steam engine and the use of coal, energy was consumed close to where it was produced, so there were no geopolitical issues at stake. These issues remained limited with coal, insofar as deposits were fairly well distributed and only a few countries consumed substantial quantities.

On the other hand, the massive use of oil from the beginning of the 20th century very quickly raised the problem of how to control black gold resources. 90% of road, air and sea transport is carried out using petroleum products, and warfare is based on the use of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil. The geopolitics of energy has long been a geopolitics of oil. More recently, natural gas and, very recently, electricity have led to tensions between countries. The development of renewable energies also poses problems of access to raw materials and technologies, which are the subject of competition.