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Thijs Van de Graaf and Benjamin K. Sovacool: Global Energy Politics
International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics ( IF 2.404 ) Pub Date : 2021-04-08 , DOI: 10.1007/s10784-020-09522-3 Hugo Faber
International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics ( IF 2.404 ) Pub Date : 2021-04-08 , DOI: 10.1007/s10784-020-09522-3 Hugo Faber
Energy is the lifeblood of modern industrialized economies, a prerequisite for economic development, and a key security concern for national states. Since the industrial revolution, energy has shaped economies, politics, and international relations. But energy systems are currently facing profound changes, that for better or worse will shape the future of human societies. Thijs Van de Graaf and Benjamin K. Sovacool are two highly cited and respected authors in the field of energy policy. In their recently published Global Energy Politics, they set out to provide a comprehensive overview of energy systems, their complex and interconnected relation to society, and how the ongoing energy transition will affect us all. As the authors point out, the global energy system is being transformed by four interrelated developments that will have profound impacts on societies, economies, and politics: climate change and its increasing political salience; the shift to China, India, and other emerging economies as the drivers of global energy demand; the transition to renewable energy driven by technological developments; and the push to eradicate energy poverty. To understand the global energy shift and its consequences, it is necessary to go beyond the narrow focus on geo-politics, oil, and supply-side infrastructure that has dominated the study of energy politics. Thus, the authors conceptualize energy systems as socio-technical, thereby including not only the technical components of the energy supply infrastructure but demand-side infrastructure and social aspects of energy as well. The former includes energy consumption patterns, planning, and end-use technologies such as cars, light bulbs, and buildings, while the latter encompasses laws and regulation, institutions such as markets, and sociocultural practices and values such as car culture and decorative lighting. A crucial social aspect of energy systems is that they are politically and ideologically contested. Van de Graaf and Sovacool use the concept of contested frames to show how different worldviews and interests shape our understandings and visions of energy systems. For instance, from a neo-mercantilist perspective, the priority is to secure a stable supply of fossil fuels, while an egalitarian perspective highlights questions of energy poverty and justice.
更新日期：2021-04-08
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