Harald Heinrichs · Pim Martens Gerd Michelsen · Arnim Wiek Editors

3.4 Energy and Security
Society is highly dependent on a reliable supply of energy for providing necessary 
energy services (e.g. heating during cold winters or for food production, transport 
and cooking). Energy security is therefore an important political driver in many 
countries, and it is also an important geopolitical factor (GEA 
2012
; chapter 5). Oil 
reserves, in particular, are very concentrated in a small number of countries, most of 
them in the Middle East, and sometimes not very politically stable. The access to oil
was used as a political weapon, e.g. in the 1970s, which led to the first (1973) and 
second (1979) oil crises. The dependence on Russian gas in the EU, Ukraine and 
other countries has been used by Russia to exert political pressure in various con-
flicts several times since 2006. Reasons for conflicts are not only about access and 
power but also about the revenues. Producing countries are interested in maximising 
profits from their (limited) resources, and consumers are keen on having a steady 
supply at competitive and stable prices. Thus, producers and consumers are mutually 
dependent. This is an important factor to consider when thinking about security.
Risks and conflicts are also linked to transport routes. For example, more than 
40 % of global oil trade is going to the narrow straits of Hormuz and Malacca
making them particularly vulnerable to all sorts of political or even terrorist 
interventions. In order to reduce vulnerability to interruptions in supply, most 
countries keep strategic petroleum reserves in the event of crisis. A different set 
of security issues are associated with nuclear energy, not least since fissile mate-
rials can also be used in weapons. For this reason, together with accident risks 
and the radioactivity of spent fuel, the nuclear enterprise is subject to extensive 
safeguards and security arrangements.
Less reliance on imported energy through shifting to renewable energy sources 
that are geographically closer and by improving energy end-use efficiency is gener-
ally considered as good for energy security (GEA 
2012
; chapter 5).
Please discuss:
• In what ways does energy matter with regard to causing or addressing the 
major global challenges (e.g. climate change, economic and social devel-
opment, human well-being, sustainable development and global 
security)?
S. Lechtenböhmer and L.J. Nilsson

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