After the disastrous earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan in 2011, causing a nuclear catastrophe, the country’s energy security, already flawed, was seriously weakened. Since the closure of almost all of its nuclear power plants, Japan is facing an energy’s security predicament. To restore lost power, the country turned more intensively to fossil fuels, a... Continue Reading →
Chinafrica – A Chinese Imperialism
Following the airpocalypse of 2013, a terrible episode involving dangerously high pollution levels, China has been trying to diversify its energy mix so as to limit the environmental crisis within its borders. Among its strategies was to develop the Belt Road Initiative, creating maritime routes from China to Africa. Since the years start of the... Continue Reading →
Ensuring Japanese Energy Security Post-Fukushima
March of this year marked 9 years since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, where the Great East Japan earthquake triggered a series of catastrophic events. The tsunami that followed the 9.0 magnitude earthquake damaged the Fukushima power plant, resulting in a loss of power, and disabled the emergency generators. This immediate loss of... Continue Reading →
There’s A Lot of Light, But What About the Dark?
India leaps forward in Renewable Energy -- will millions be left behind? Bathing in extravagance, Cinderella’s ugly step-sisters dangled their privilege in front of her eyes. They raced for prestige while rag-laden Cinderella was left in the dust. The Energy Security of India is no Cinderella-story, but can we say it’s that far off? This... Continue Reading →
Will China Launch an Oil War for the South China Sea?
If China wanted to, it could build Australia out of a rock in the sea. China’s militarisation in the South China Sea has been so rapid and blatant that it has resulted in an ICJ case brought by the Philippines, as well as many “freedom of navigation” missions by countries keen to remind the world... Continue Reading →
Can South Korea Ever Abandon Nuclear Energy?
Nuclear power has been a part of South Korea's energy industry since the 1950s. Now a US$24 billion domestic industry, twenty-three nuclear reactors power one-third of South Korea's electricity demand. Nuclear power is therefore critical to the nation's energy security, and has inspired decades of administrations maintaining its status as a strategic priority. South Korea's... Continue Reading →
China a Global Climate Leader? Not so Fast
In November 2017, five months after President Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accords, President Xi declared that China was now in the “driving seat” when it came to mitigating global climate change. [1] This was a bold claim, given that China is still the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse... Continue Reading →