Surviving the Storm: The New Geopolitics of Energy - Hardcover

Surviving the Storm is an analysis, undertaken by the Windsor Energy Group over the past 12 years, focusing on the availability of an ample global energy supply over the next 35 to 50 years. It charts a way through the storm but warns of the many political conflicts and economic obstacles looming. With the effects of climate change and the growing damage to the Earth's atmosphere, catastrophe seems at first sight inevitable. The impact on international trade, economic growth and food supply could be critical. With a steadily rising global population and the ever-widening expectations of the billions who live in the non-OECD developing world, it is safe to assume that their global consumption of primary energy could come close to doubling within the coming years. Where is all this energy going to be found? Alternative energy is struggling hard to hang on to its tiny share of the global energy mix. Scientific research shows the dire consequences of doing nothing and the pressing need to accelerate the pace of developing much more efficient and energy-saving technology. The good news is that we have ample resources of oil, coal and gas to bridge the gap to these new technologies. However, we will have to maintain the current momentum of production of these fossil-based fuels and to invest heavily in expanding their capacity. The bad news is that we can only achieve this if we can simultaneously ensure that we can neutralise and curb their adverse impact on the atmosphere, agriculture, fisheries and urban air quality.

The Windsor Energy Group was founded in 2000 to provide a useful link between the 170 or so Ambassadors and High Commissioners in London (and through them their Governments and national energy companies) and the leading multinational energy companies. Since 2003, it has held 12 annual three-day consultations inside Windsor Castle for up to 50 invited participants to identify and discuss the key issues and challenges of the day and the most likely priorities, prospects and solutions. The eight contributors to this book are: HE Khaled Al-Duwaisan; Lord Howell of Guildford PC; Lord Oxburgh of Liverpool; Paul Tempest; Herman Franssen; Andrew Leung; Tatsuo Masuda and Ian Walker.