The Changing World of Energy and the Geopolitical Challenges: Understanding Energy Developments -- 1

Energy, and its corollary energy geopolitics, is more than ever a grass-roots issue in today's world. After having been threatened for 40 years with the fear of an oil shortage, we have now entered an era of fossil fuel abundance combined with an increase in demand for it. But fears do not dissipate so quickly; sustainable development is now driving energy policy. However, energy geopolitics has its own agenda. To understand its basic tenets one has to grasp the fundamental principles of energy policy. This is the aim of this series of two educational books. The first lays the foundations for an understanding of what energy is; this is essential to grasp the ideas presented in the second volume. As this demonstration goes against the grain of much conventional thinking we start with a first part dedicated to the fundamentals of energy in order to understand what it is, reviewing the essential principles of physics which are based on universal laws that never change. Then we study the basic principles of data analysis, the importance of sustainable development, and review all the various different energy sources, explaining how they are produced, the extent of their reserves, their specific markets, and the main actors. In the second volume a study of the energy geopolitics of different countries and regions ties together all this acquired knowledge and brings it into perspective allowing the reader to undertake an analysis of present-day energy geopolitics. Since the geopolitics of energy is closely linked to its evolution in the past, many references are provided to historical events which put the present situation into perspective. These educational books are packed with graphs and diagrams to help readers advance progressively in their understanding of energy geopolitics.