Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power

Download Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Strategic Studies Institute U. S. Army War College
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power by : Alexander Ghaleb

Download or read book Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power written by Alexander Ghaleb and published by Strategic Studies Institute U. S. Army War College. This book was released on 2011 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Redefining the scarcity of natural gas in the contemporary security environment -- The salience of natural gas in the emerging geopolitical model of Russia as an energy superstate -- Carrots and sticks : a look at Russia-Ukraine gas pipeline politics -- Divide ut regnes : reflexive control and gas pipeline politics in Eurasia -- Conclusion

Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power (Letort Paper)

Download Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power (Letort Paper) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781780399850
Total Pages : 164 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (998 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power (Letort Paper) by : Alexander Ghaleb

Download or read book Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power (Letort Paper) written by Alexander Ghaleb and published by . This book was released on 2011-11 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph is meant to provide an unbiased examination of: the scarcity of natural gas in the contemporary security environment; the salience of natural gas in Russia's national security strategies; and, the natural gas pipeline politics in Eastern and Central Europe. While the tendency of most energy security scholars has been to collectively analyze Europe's dependency on oil and gas, this author analyzes the two energy markets separately, and demonstrates that natural gas is a more potent instrument of coercion in the contemporary security environment than oil was in the traditional security environment. Sufficient evidence is also provided that Russia continues to perceive NATO as a hostile alliance, and that future natural gas disruption by Russia-who holds a monopoly on the supply of natural gas via pipeline to Eastern and Central Europe-will prove deadly to the economies of many NATO member states. The salience of natural gas as an instrument of state power is emphasized in Russia's negotiations with Ukraine; this monograph credits the 2006 and 2009 gas wars between the two nations as the main causes for the failure of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. Ultimately, today, Russia uses the same tools it used in Ukraine-in the context of natural gas negotiations-to bribe Western European nations; to divide the NATO Alliance; and to rule over its traditional sphere of influence in Eastern and Central Europe. Finally, the author emphasizes that with the Russian construction of Nord Stream and South Stream natural gas pipelines, and unless alternatives to Russian natural gas are found, it is only a matter of time until Russia will use natural gas as an instrument of coercion against NATO member states.

Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power

Download Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781633911390
Total Pages : 262 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (113 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power by : Ion a Iftimie

Download or read book Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power written by Ion a Iftimie and published by . This book was released on 2015-01-02 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Since the Cold War, Russia has been perceived as a broken nation that no longer represents a threat to the North Atlantic Alliance. This book emphasizes that Russia overcame this major vulnerability by developing the capacity to use unilateral economic sanctions in the form of gas pricing and gas disruptions against many European North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states. It agrees with many scholars and politics alike who fear that Russia will leverage its monopoly of natural gas to gain political concessions. The author suggests it is only a matter of time until Russia will use natural gas as an instrument of coercion to disrupt NATO's decision making process." -Douglas C. Lovelace, Jr. Director, Strategic Studies Institute A former Intelligence Officer, Ion A. Iftimie is an energy security expert with over one decade of successfully advising senior military, business, and government leaders on Eurasian natural gas industry and related national security issues. This is the second, revised edition.

Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power [Enlarged Edition]

Download Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power [Enlarged Edition] PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781304235190
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (351 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power [Enlarged Edition] by : Alexander Ghaleb

Download or read book Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power [Enlarged Edition] written by Alexander Ghaleb and published by . This book was released on 2013-07-16 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power

Download Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CreateSpace
ISBN 13 : 9781503176072
Total Pages : 148 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (76 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power by : U. S. Army U.S. Army War College

Download or read book Natural Gas As an Instrument of Russian State Power written by U. S. Army U.S. Army War College and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-11-11 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While in the 1980s oil was considered "the only commodity whose sudden cutoff would have a drastic effect on national welfare or on economic activity," the 2030s come with the image of a world in which the sudden cutoff of Russian gas to Europe will have similar disastrous effects on the economies of many European and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states. This monograph argues that Russian control of the natural gas supplies and of the export infrastructure systems of natural gas to Europe gives tremendous leverage to Russia in imposing its national security policy. If in the traditional security environment the use of military force was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic's (USSR) preferred method of political coercion, in the contemporary security environment Russia is struggling with a weaker military that no longer represents a threat to the North Atlantic Alliance. This book emphasizes that Russia overcame this major vulnerability by developing the capacity to use unilateral economic sanctions in the form of gas pricing and gas disruptions against many European NATO member states. It agrees with many scholars and politicians alike who fear that Russia will leverage its monopoly of natural gas to gain political concessions; and it supports the viewpoint that "Russia's energy-centered foreign policy is not limited to the states of the former Soviet Union and is clearly designed to increase its leverage in key geostrategic theaters and over United States allies." While Russian officials insist that these fears are overblown, skeptics believe that "if there were a serious enough dispute, the Russians might do just that [use its energy security leverage against NATO member states]." The concerns of these skeptics cannot be dismissed without an unbiased examination of the scarcity of natural gas in the contemporary security environment, of the salience of natural gas in Russia's national security strategies, and of the natural gas pipeline politics in Eastern and Central Europe. To address these questions, the monograph has been separated into four chapters. Chapter 1 will demonstrate that like oil in the traditional security environment, under certain conditions, natural gas can serve as an effective unilateral instrument of state power in the contemporary security environment, and that its disruption by Russia will prove deadly to the economies of many NATO member states in Eastern and Central Europe (traditionally, Russia's sphere of influence). Chapter 2 will explain why Russia perceives NATO as a hostile alliance, and how Russia uses natural gas as an instrument of coercion in its sphere of influence. In Chapter 3, a look at Russia's use of natural gas as a national security instrument of coercion in negotiations with Ukraine will help energy security analysts determine the conditions under which Russia will leverage its energy superpower position in its relations with European Union (EU) and/or NATO member states. Additionally, a look at Russia's failures in the use of such coercion in Ukraine will assist NATO member states in Eastern and Central Europe to identify ways to reduce the threat of disruption of Russian gas supplies. Finally, Chapter 4 will expose the processes Russia uses in the context of natural gas negotiations to bribe Western European nations-such as Germany, France, and Italy-to divide the NATO Alliance, and to rule over its traditional sphere of influence in Eastern and Central Europe.

Gazprom and the Russian State

Download Gazprom and the Russian State PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : GMB Publishing Ltd
ISBN 13 : 1905050852
Total Pages : 76 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Gazprom and the Russian State by : Kevin Rosner

Download or read book Gazprom and the Russian State written by Kevin Rosner and published by GMB Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2006 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gazprom is the world's single largest producer of natural gas, long acknowledged as a state-within-a-state. In 2005 it reached a turning point in its history when the Russian government reasserted its majority stakeholder position, whilst also continuing it's own push to gain control over an increasing share of Russia's energy complex overall. This timely report provides answers to questions such as: what do these movements mean for the future of the Russian energy sector? What will be the impact of state control over Gazprom on domestic and foreign shareholders? And what do these changes portend for the future of natural gas exploitation, production, distribution and the ultimate export of Russian gas to downstream consumers? And what will these changes mean to world? This series of reports establishes for the first time the confluence of Russian foreign policy with the acquisition of foreign energy assets by Russian entities. Nine specific country profiles focus on the oil, gas, electricity and nuclear power industries. Each report written by an author of international standing, explains how Russian foreign energy downstream mergers and acquisitions are transpiring to consolidate the new Russian empire.

EU-Russia Energy Relations

Download EU-Russia Energy Relations PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Universitätsverlag Potsdam
ISBN 13 : 3869561203
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (695 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis EU-Russia Energy Relations by : Dimo Böhme

Download or read book EU-Russia Energy Relations written by Dimo Böhme and published by Universitätsverlag Potsdam. This book was released on 2011 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public debate about energy relations between the EU and Russia is distorted. These distortions present considerable obstacles to the development of true partnership. At the core of the conflict is a struggle for resource rents between energy producing, energy consuming and transit countries. Supposed secondary aspects, however, are also of great importance. They comprise of geopolitics, market access, economic development and state sovereignty. The European Union, having engaged in energy market liberalisation, faces a widening gap between declining domestic resources and continuously growing energy demand. Diverse interests inside the EU prevent the definition of a coherent and respected energy policy. Russia, for its part, is no longer willing to subsidise its neighbouring economies by cheap energy exports. The Russian government engages in assertive policies pursuing Russian interests. In so far, it opts for a different globalisation approach, refusing the role of mere energy exporter. In view of the intensifying struggle for global resources, Russia, with its large energy potential, appears to be a very favourable option for European energy supplies, if not the best one. However, several outcomes of the strategic game between the two partners can be imagined. Engaging in non-cooperative strategies will in the end leave all stakeholders worse-off. The European Union should therefore concentrate on securing its partnership with Russia instead of damaging it. Stable cooperation would need the acceptance that the partner may pursue his own goals, which might be different from one’s own interests. The question is, how can a sustainable compromise be found? This thesis finds that a mix of continued dialogue, a tit for tat approach bolstered by an international institutional framework and increased integration efforts appears as a preferable solution.

The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas

Download The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674978102
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (749 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas by : Agnia Grigas

Download or read book The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas written by Agnia Grigas and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-24 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the United States aggressively expands its exports of liquefied natural gas, it stands poised to become an energy superpower. This unanticipated reality is rewriting the conventional rules of intercontinental gas trade and realigning strategic relations among the United States, the European Union, Russia, China and beyond, as Agnia Grigas shows.

The Bridge

Download The Bridge PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674987950
Total Pages : 521 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (749 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Bridge by : Thane Gustafson

Download or read book The Bridge written by Thane Gustafson and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Europe and Russia are pushing against each other in a contest of economic doctrines and political ambitions, seemingly erasing the vision of cooperation that emerged from the end of the Cold War. Thane Gustafson argues that natural gas serves as a bridge over troubled geopolitical waters, uniting the region through common economic interests.

Russia and European Energy Security

Download Russia and European Energy Security PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CSIS
ISBN 13 : 9780892065554
Total Pages : 36 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (655 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Russia and European Energy Security by : Keith C. Smith

Download or read book Russia and European Energy Security written by Keith C. Smith and published by CSIS. This book was released on 2008 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Europe's Dependence on Russian Natural Gas

Download Europe's Dependence on Russian Natural Gas PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781982927998
Total Pages : 70 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (279 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Europe's Dependence on Russian Natural Gas by : Marshall European Center for Security Studies

Download or read book Europe's Dependence on Russian Natural Gas written by Marshall European Center for Security Studies and published by . This book was released on 2018-05-17 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper argues that the European Union must take decisive action to diversify its future energy needs away from Russian natural gas. Paradoxically, the EU's energy policy is more strategically forward-thinking and global community-minded than that of any major power, while at the same time it is mired in the parochialism of the different views of its member states. Admirably, it is the world's spokesperson for a rational policy that concerns itself with not only global climate change, but also the need for a long-term gradual weaning from hydrocarbons to renewable sources of energy. Unfortunately, the strategy of some member states to meet energy needs over the next 30-40 years, during what will be a likely be a dramatic transition period in the evolution of energy technology, seems to be based on the premise that Russia is not only mutually dependent on its European partners, but also will continue to act in a reliable manner and not exploit its increasing monopoly position, particularly in the natural gas markets. This would be an unwise policy to follow, even if Russia were the most liberal of democracies. Given Russia's uncertain future, and the demonstrated fact that it has been systematically reorganizing the entire Eurasian gas market from production all the way down to local distribution under its state-controlled agent, Gazprom, it is totally unrealistic to expect benign treatment from such a monopoly. Topics and subjects covered include: Gazprom, Putin, Ukraine, Sakhalin, Nord Stream, Rosneft, Yukos, RosUkrEnergo, Pipelines, LNG, NEGP The European Union 27 currently rely on Russia for almost 38% of their imported natural gas; this dependency will become significantly greater if European states implement their currently formulated energy policies. With plans to phase out nuclear power in several European countries, the EU goal to reduce coal consumption thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and the depletion of domestic sources of gas, reliance on Russia will rise to 50 to 60% of all gas imports within the next two decades if different energy policies are not adopted. The EU and greater Europe will soon find themselves in an extremely dangerous position due to the ever-increasing dependence on Russian natural gas. These countries must work together now to produce a coherent diversification strategy. Chapter 1 - Russian and the European Natural Gas Market * Introduction * Why Natural Gas is so critical in the Energy Mix * Fragmentation of Pricing and the European Natural Gas Market * Europe's Increasing Reliance on Imported Hydrocarbons * Europe's Energy Dependence on Russia * The Effect on the European Market of Opening Pipelines to China * Russian Gas versus Oil * The Possibility of a Gas Cartel * Chapter 2 - Gazprom and the Russian Strategy * Gazprom * Putin, Politics, and Gazprom * Ukraine - An Example * Permission to Monopolize the Market * Sakhalin 2 * Kovykta * Gazprom's Distribution Portfolio and the Energy Charter * Russian Imperial Thinking * Chapter 3 - Counter Arguments * China - Not a Desirable Partner * A New Energy Source * Control of Central Asian Gas Supplies to Europe * Russia will not Produce * Chapter 4 - Recommendations * Diversification of Gas Imports - Pipelines: * The Nord Stream as an Example of the EU's Lack of Solidarity * A Trans Caspian Sea Gas Pipeline * Pipelines from North Africa * Diversification of Gas Imports - LNG * Diversification of Types of Energy * Renewables * Nuclear Power * "Clean Coal" and other New Technologies * Investment in Power Generation outside the EU * Conclusions

The Political Economy of Natural Gas

Download The Political Economy of Natural Gas PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351402439
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (514 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Political Economy of Natural Gas by : Ferdinand E. Banks

Download or read book The Political Economy of Natural Gas written by Ferdinand E. Banks and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1987 this book presents a comprehensive survey of the global natural gas industry: it looks at the problems of supply, the pattern of demand, the economics of the industrya nd how the industry in the 1980s was being affected by changes in other energy sectors. As a key commodity in the world economy the supply of natural gas is increasingly affecting and changing international relations between importer and supplier countries: the siberian natural gas pipeline which supplies Soviet gas to Western Europe is a key example of the impact of natural gas on international relations and one which is discussed in the book.

Authority, Ascendancy, and Supremacy

Download Authority, Ascendancy, and Supremacy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136501819
Total Pages : 221 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (365 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Authority, Ascendancy, and Supremacy by : Gregory O. Hall

Download or read book Authority, Ascendancy, and Supremacy written by Gregory O. Hall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-12 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Authority, Ascendancy, and Supremacy examines the American, Chinese, and Russian (Big 3) competition for power and influence in the Post-Cold War Era. With the ascension of regional powers such as India, Iran, Brazil, and Turkey, the Big 3 dynamic is an evolving one, which cannot be ignored because of its effect to not only reshape regional security, but also control influence and power in world affairs. How does one define a "global" or "regional" power in the Post-Cold War Era? How does the relationships among the Big 3 influence regional actors? Gregory O. Hall utilizes country data from primary and secondary sources to reveal that since the early 1990s, competition for influence and power among the Big 3 has intensified and could result in armed confrontation among the major powers. He assesses the state of affairs in each country’s economic, resource, military, social/demographic, and political spheres. In addition, events data, which focuses on international interactions, facilitates identifying trends in Big 3 interactions as well as their concerns and affairs with regional players. Opinion data, drawn from policy makers, scholarly interviews, and survey research data, identifies foreign policy interests among the Big 3, as well non-Big 3 foreign policy behaviors. With its singular focus on American, Chinese, and Russian interactions, policy interests, and behaviors, Authority, Ascendancy, and Supremacy represents a significant contribution for understanding and managing Post-Cold War conflicts and promises to be an important book.

Energy Empire

Download Energy Empire PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781903558386
Total Pages : 64 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (583 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Energy Empire by : Fiona Hill

Download or read book Energy Empire written by Fiona Hill and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Power, Energy, and the New Russian Imperialism

Download Power, Energy, and the New Russian Imperialism PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313352232
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (133 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Power, Energy, and the New Russian Imperialism by : Anita Orban

Download or read book Power, Energy, and the New Russian Imperialism written by Anita Orban and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2008-09-30 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russia is the world's foremost energy superpower, rivaling Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer and accounting for a quarter of the world's exports of natural gas. Russia's energy reserves account for half of the world's probable oil reserves and a third of the world's proven natural gas reserves. Whereas military might and nuclear weapons formed the core of Soviet cold war power, since 1991 the Russian state has viewed its monopolistic control of Russia's energy resources as the core of its power now and for the future. Since 2005, the international news has been filled with Russia's repeated demonstrations of its readiness to use price, transit fees, and supply of gas and oil exports as punitive policy instruments against recalcitrant states that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, striking in turn the Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, and Lithuania. Orban reveals for the first time in Power, Energy, and the New Russian Imperialism Russia's readiness to wield the same energy weapon against her neighbors on the west, all of them former Soviet satellite states but now EU and NATO member nations: the three Baltic nations and the five East European nations of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. Orban shows how the Kremlin since 1991 has systematically used Russian energy companies as players in a concerted neo-mercantilist, energy-based foreign policy designed to further Russia's neo-imperial ambitions among America's key allies in Central East Europe. Her unprecedented analysis is key to predicting Russia's strategic response to American negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic to host the US missile shield. She also reveals the economic and diplomatic modus operandi by which Russia will increasingly apply its energy clout to shape and coerce the foreign policies of the West European members of the EU, as Russia's contribution to EU gas consumption increases from a quarter today to three-quarters by 2020. Orban proves that Russia's neo-mercantilist energy strategy in East Europe is not at all dependent on the person of Putin, but began under Yeltsin and continues under Medvedev, the former chairman of Gazprom.

Russian Energy in a Changing World

Download Russian Energy in a Changing World PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317060377
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Russian Energy in a Changing World by : Jakub M. Godzimirski

Download or read book Russian Energy in a Changing World written by Jakub M. Godzimirski and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-23 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For a long time Russia’s position as a key global energy player has enhanced Moscow’s international economic and political influence whilst causing concern amongst other states fearful of becoming too dependent on Russia as an energy supplier. The Global Financial Crisis shook this established image of Russia as an indispensable energy superpower, immune to negative external influences and revealed the full extent of Russia’s dependence on oil and gas for economic and political influence. This led to calls from within the country for a new approach where energy resources were no longer regarded wholly as an asset, but also a potential curse resulting in an over reliance on one sector thwarting modernization of the economy and the country as a whole. In this fascinating and timely volume leading Russian and Western scholars examine various aspects of Russian energy policy and the opportunities and constraints that influence the choices made by the country’s energy decision makers. Contributors focus on Russia’s energy relations with the rest of the world alongside internal debates about the need for diversification and modernisation in a changing economy, country and world system where overdependence on energy commodities has become a key concern for customer and supplier alike.

Understanding the Global Energy Crisis

Download Understanding the Global Energy Crisis PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Purdue University Press
ISBN 13 : 1612493106
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (124 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Understanding the Global Energy Crisis by : Richard A. Simmons

Download or read book Understanding the Global Energy Crisis written by Richard A. Simmons and published by Purdue University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-15 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are facing a global energy crisis caused by world population growth, an escalating increase in demand, and continued dependence on fossil-based fuels for generation. It is widely accepted that increases in greenhouse gas concentration levels, if not reversed, will result in major changes to world climate with consequential effects on our society and economy. This is just the kind of intractable problem that Purdue University's Global Policy Research Institute seeks to address in the Purdue Studies in Public Policy series by promoting the engagement between policy makers and experts in fields such as engineering and technology. Major steps forward in the development and use of technology are required. In order to achieve solutions of the required scale and magnitude within a limited timeline, it is essential that engineers be not only technologically-adept but also aware of the wider social and political issues that policy-makers face. Likewise, it is also imperative that policy makers liaise closely with the academic community in order to realize advances. This book is designed to bridge the gap between these two groups, with a particular emphasis on educating the socially-conscious engineers and technologists of the future. In this accessibly-written volume, central issues in global energy are discussed through interdisciplinary dialogue between experts from both North America and Europe. The first section provides an overview of the nature of the global energy crisis approached from historical, political, and sociocultural perspectives. In the second section, expert contributors outline the technology and policy issues facing the development of major conventional and renewable energy sources. The third and final section explores policy and technology challenges and opportunities in the distribution and consumption of energy, in sectors such as transportation and the built environment. The book's epilogue suggests some future scenarios in energy distribution and use.