Energy security is a general theme that has once again pressed itself into public attention. The background to and relevance of focusing on energy security in 2002, more than 25 years after this topic reached the headlines and was put at the top of the political agenda, is the fact that political priorities, legal regulation, energy markets, trade and international and regional cooperation have all changed dramatically over this period.
The book examines energy security in a privatised, liberalised and increasingly global energy market, in which the concept of sustainability has developed together with a higher awareness of environmental issues, but where the potential for supply disruptions, price fluctuation and threats to infrastructure safety must also be considered. Recent blackouts, 11 September 2001 and the war in Iraq emphasise the immediacy of the topic. Whereas the approach in the 1970s was primarily concerned with the availability of natural resources, the current approach is much wider in scope as it also aims at guaranteeing consumer need for a regular and reliable supply.
The book continues a series of collaborations by the Academic Advisory Group (AAG) of the Section on Energy and Natural Resources Law (SERL) of the IBA, addressing energy security matters in the 21st century, including global trends, available legal tools to minimize risk and variations in the regulation of energy security. Following an introductory chapter which defines energy security and sets forth the key issues and themes of the book there then follow several chapters considering energy security in its international and regional context. National approaches to energy security issues are then examined, with contributions representing every significant energy region of the globe and each considering energy sectoral and cross-cutting issues.
The book concludes with a sceptical analysis of energy security claims from an environmental perspective and a final chapter forecasting energy security concerns for the twenty-first century.
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