Energy Security in the Contemporary World
A shared writing space on all things related to energy & security – Made in Sciences Po, Reims
According to the IPCC, the world has just twelve years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that would achieve the Paris Agreement target of less than 1.5oC of global warming.[1] With net global emissions still on the rise and big players like the United States turning their backs on climate action, for many... Continue Reading →
Ecological, environmentally-friendly, and green… these are just some of the pretty words we use to paint a positive image out of renewable energy. Doing so is not wrong; after all, if we want to combat the adverse effects of fossil fuel use, framing renewables as something positive will only make us prefer it over other... Continue Reading →
SOLAR. FREAKING. ROADWAYS. Yes, you read it right. SOLAR. FREAKING. ROADWAYS. If you don’t get where I’m going with this, click here to watch a short explicatory video. If you don’t have approximately 419 seconds to spare, though, my explanation will do the trick. With their first prototype launched in 2010 and three modified... Continue Reading →
As the ice in the Arctic gets thinner, resource opportunities are thicker and competition fiercer. Ice is melting at record high rates in the Arctic, and what used to be inaccessible areas are becoming primary targets for some of the world’s superpowers. Countries including Russia, Canada, the US, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland and Norway are fighting... Continue Reading →
Using non-existent technology as a justification for destructive operations With climate change concerns growing, threats to the oil and gas sectors are multiplying. More than ever, there is a need for proof that current and future extraction initiatives are in line with climate goals. A report released by IPCC last October confirmed that shooting for... Continue Reading →
A new order in the works Since May 2018, when president Donald Trump backed out of the Iran nuclear deal and shifted to reimpose sanctions, it was assured by US officials that he would not provide exemptions allowing allies to import oil from Iran. Eventually, the tight market required some damage control for the US... Continue Reading →
Article 1 of the Declaration on the Right to Development holds that the right to development is an inalienable human right.[1] When this was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1986, it represented a strong step forward for global distributive justice. Today, however, we are facing a situation in which states increasingly invoke the... Continue Reading →
The carbon footprint of online shopping highly depends on the actions of consumers. A 2013 MIT study, “Environmental Analysis of US Online Shopping”, shows shoppers can be divided into a number of different categories that span from a “traditional retail shopper” to what the study calls a “cybernaut” shopper who exclusively shops online. The highest... Continue Reading →
While in many parts of the world countries have been moving away from nuclear energy, or at least moving forward with heightened caution; the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), has been in the making for decades to work towards the future of nuclear energy. The development of ITER, a Fusion reactor, is a multinational collaboration... Continue Reading →
14% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. While electric cars are becoming more and more popular, and hydrogen offers new possibilities, there are also other ways to mitigate the automobile carbon footprint – and make the most out of it. Roads can provide several solutions. Replacing asphalt with solar panels would make a profit... Continue Reading →
Energy Security in the Contemporary World 