Competing Dimensions of Energy Security: An International Perspective

How well are industrialized nations doing in terms of their energy security? Without a standardized set of metrics, it is difficult to determine the extent to which countries are properly responding to the emerging energy security challenges related to climate change: a growing dependency on fossil fuels, population growth, and economic development. In response, this article first surveys the academic literature on energy security and concludes that it is composed of availability, affordability, efficiency, and environmental stewardship. It then analyzes the relative energy security performance, based on these four dimensions, of the United States and 21 other member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 1970 to 2007. Four countries are examined in greater detail: one of the strongest (Denmark), one of the most improved in terms of energy security ( Japan), one with weak and stagnant energy security (United States), and one with deteriorating energy security (Spain). The article concludes by offering implications for public policy.

[1]  M. Pasqualetti.  THE COMPETING DIMENSIONS OF ENERGY SECURITY , 2010 .

[2]  D. Greene.  Measuring energy security: Can the United States achieve oil independence? , 2010 .

[3]  Benjamin K. Sovacool,et al.  Reassessing energy security and the Trans-ASEAN natural gas pipeline network in Southeast Asia , 2009 .

[4]  C. Bullard,et al.  Impact of cap-and-trade policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions on U.S. households , 2009 .

[5]  Yannick Perez,et al.  The public promotion of wind energy in Spain from the transaction costs perspective 1986–2007 , 2009 .

[6]  Lee Schipper,et al.  Disappointed by Diesel? , 2009 .

[7]  Ignacio J. Pérez-Arriaga,et al.  Scenarios for the evolution of the Spanish electricity sector: Is it on the right path towards sustainability? , 2008 .

[8]  Pablo del Río González,et al.  Ten years of renewable electricity policies in Spain: An analysis of successive feed-in tariff reforms , 2008 .

[9]  Benjamin K. Sovacool,et al.  The problem with the “portfolio approach” in American energy policy , 2008 .

[10]  Factoring energy security into Australian foreign and trade policy: has luck run out? , 2008 .

[11]  Joseph Y. S. Cheng,et al.  A Chinese View of China's Energy Security , 2008 .

[12]  L. M. Soriano.  New Modes of Governance in the Spanish Electricity and Gas Sectors , 2008, Journal of Public Policy.

[13]  S. Sevastyanov.  The More Assertive and Pragmatic New Energy Policy in Putin’s Russia: Security Implications for Northeast Asia , 2008 .

[14]  Benjamin K. Sovacool,et al.  Is the Danish wind energy model replicable for other countries , 2008 .

[15]  Tony Barnes,et al.  Beyond an energy deal: Impacts of the Sino-Australia uranium agreement , 2008 .

[16]  Apho.  The good indicators guide: understanding how to use and choose indicators , 2008 .

[17]  Kevin D. Stringer.  Energy Security: Applying a Portfolio Approach , 2008 .

[18]  Shebonti Ray Dadwal.  China's Search for Energy Security: Emerging Dilemmas , 2007 .

[19]  Benjamin K. Sovacool,et al.  Developing an ‘energy sustainability index’ to evaluate energy policy , 2007 .

[20]  Benjamin K. Sovacool,et al.  Solving the oil independence problem: Is it possible? , 2007 .

[21]  M. Burke,et al.  The Ripple Effect: Biofuels, Food Security, and the Environment , 2007 .

[22]  Stephen Eaves,et al.  Renewable Corn-Ethanol and Energy Security , 2007 .

[23]  Frank Verrastro,et al.  Providing Energy Security in an Interdependent World , 2007 .

[24]  Pablo del Río,et al.  Overcoming the lock-out of renewable energy technologies in Spain: The cases of wind and solar electricity , 2007 .

[25]  Lester C. Hunt,et al.  Modelling OECD industrial energy demand: Asymmetric price responses and energy-saving technical change , 2007 .

[26]  N. Pamir.  The Black Sea: A Gateway to Energy Security and Diversification , 2007 .

[27]  Anna Korppoo,et al.  Nuclear power in Northern Russia: A case study on future energy security in the Murmansk region , 2007 .

[28]  Masahiro Atsumi.  Japanese Energy Security Revisited , 2007 .

[29]  A. Simpson.  The environment – Energy security nexus: critical analysis of an energy ‘love triangle’ in Southeast Asia , 2007 .

[30]  D. Stokes.  Blood for oil? Global capital, counter-insurgency and the dual logic of American energy security , 2007, Review of International Studies.

[31]  Jan H. Kalicki.  Rx for“Oil Addiction”: The Middle East And Energy Security , 2007 .

[32]  Samuel Fankhauser,et al.  Can poor consumers pay for energy and water? An affordability analysis for transition countries , 2007 .

[33]  R. Leaver.  Australia and Asia-Pacific energy security: the rhymes of history , 2007 .

[34]  Edward Vine,et al.  Energy Myth Ten – Energy Efficiency Measures are Unreliable, Unpredictable, and Unenforceable , 2007 .

[35]  Á. Pardo,et al.  Decoupling factors on the energy–output linkage: The Spanish case , 2007 .

[36]  P. Noël.  The New US Middle East Policy and Energy Security Challenges , 2006 .

[37]  D. Victor,et al.  National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependency , 2006 .

[38]  John P. Holdren,et al.  Energy-Technology Innovation , 2006 .

[39]  Benjamin Sovacool,et al.  Assessing U.S. energy policy , 2006, Daedalus.

[40]  Xu Yi-chong,et al.  China's energy security , 2006 .

[41]  Satoshi Tanishima,et al.  Polices for increasing energy efficiency: Thirty years of experience in OECD countries , 2006 .

[42]  Daniel Yergin,et al.  Ensuring Energy Security , 2006 .

[43]  Horace Herring,et al.  Energy efficiency—a critical view , 2006 .

[44]  Edward Chow,et al.  Hurricane Katrina and US Energy Security , 2005 .

[45]  Xianguo Li,et al.  Diversification and localization of energy systems for sustainable development and energy security , 2005 .

[46]  D. Kammen,et al.  Letting the (energy) Gini out of the bottle: Lorenz curves of cumulative electricity consumption and Gini coefficients as metrics of energy distribution and equity , 2005 .

[47]  T. Patzek,et al.  Ethanol From Corn: Clean Renewable Fuel for the Future, or Drain on Our Resources and Pockets? , 2005 .

[48]  U.S. oil and natural gas reserve prices, 1982-2003 , 2005 .

[49]  D. Greene,et al.  Costs of U.S. Oil Dependence: 2005 Update , 2005 .

[50]  Vaclav Smil,et al.  Energy at the Crossroads: Global Perspectives and Uncertainties , 2005 .

[51]  Richard N. Cooper,et al.  Energy and security : toward a new foreign policy strategy , 2005 .

[52]  Daniel Spreng,et al.  On Measuring Energy Poverty in Indian Households , 2004 .

[53]  Gal Luft,et al.  TERRORISM GOES TO SEA , 2004 .

[54]  A. Farrell,et al.  ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY , 2004 .

[55]  S Pacala,et al.  Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies , 2004, Science.

[56]  A. Stulberg.  ‘Fuelling’ Transatlantic Entente in the Caspian Basin: energy security and collective action , 2004 .

[57]  J. Sawin,et al.  Mainstreaming Renewable Energy In The 21st Century , 2004 .

[58]  Lila K. Barrera-Hernández.  The Andes: So Much Energy, Such Little Security , 2004 .

[59]  D. Zillman,et al.  Security of Supply and Control of Terrorism: Energy Security in the United States in the Early Twenty-First Century , 2004 .

[60]  Anita Rønne,et al.  Energy security : managing risk in a dynamic legal and regulatory environment , 2004 .

[61]  Pablo del Río,et al.  Energy sustainability and global warming in Spain , 2004 .

[62]  Onno Kuik,et al.  Climate Change Policies, Energy Security and Carbon Dependency Trade-offs for the European Union in the Longer Term , 2003 .

[63]  R. Pindyck.  VOLATILITY IN NATURAL GAS AND OIL MARKETS , 2003 .

[64]  T. Toichi.  Energy Security in Asia and Japanese Policy , 2003 .

[65]  J. Bentzen.  An empirical analysis of gasoline price convergence for 20 OECD countries , 2003 .

[66]  Atul K. Jain,et al.  Stability: Energy for a Greenhouse Planet Advanced Technology Paths to Global Climate , 2008 .

[67]  P. Arocena,et al.  Price regulation in the Spanish energy sectors: who benefits? , 2002 .

[68]  L. Grau.  Hydrocarbons and a New Strategic Region: The Caspian Sea and Central Asia , 2001 .

[69]  John C. Deal,et al.  Viral Contagia in Cyberspace , 2001 .

[70]  Poul Erik Morthorst,et al.  The development of a green certificate market , 2000 .

[71]  Allen S. Lefohn,et al.  Estimating historical anthropogenic global sulfur emission patterns for the period 1850–1990☆ , 1999 .

[72]  W. B. Davis,et al.  Decomposition of aggregate carbon intensity for freight: trends from 10 OECD countries for the period 1971-1993 , 1999 .

[73]  Yujiro Hayami,et al.  Changes in the Sources of Modern Economic Growth: Japan Compared with the United States☆☆☆ , 1999 .

[74]  Amulya K. N. Reddy,et al.  Energy After Rio: Prospects and Challenges , 1997 .

[75]  Lee Schipper,et al.  The political relevance of energy and CO2 indicators-An introduction , 1997 .

[76]  Lee Schipper,et al.  ENERGY USE AND CARBON EMISSIONS FROM FREIGHT IN 10 INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES: AN ANALYSIS OF TRENDS FROM 1973 TO 1992 , 1997 .

[77]  Amory B. Lovins,et al.  Negawatts : Twelve transitions, eight improvements and one distraction , 1996 .

[78]  Mark A. Delucchi,et al.  US military expenditures to protect the use of Persian Gulf oil for motor vehicles , 1996 .

[79]  Yukiko Fukasaku,et al.  Energy and environment policy integration: The case of energy conservation policies and technologies in Japan , 1995 .

[80]  Lee Schipper,et al.  The structure and intensity of energy use: Trends in five OECD nations. Revision , 1992 .

[81]  Daniel J. Jacob,et al.  Global inventory of sulfur emissions with 1°×1° resolution , 1992 .

[82]  Steinar Strøm,et al.  Energy use in passenger transport in OECD countries: Changes since 1970 , 1992 .

[83]  T. Lancaster,et al.  Policy Stability and Democratic Change: Energy in Spain’s Transition , 1990 .

[84]  G. R. Brundtland.  Our Common Future World Commission on Environment and Development , 1987 .

[85]  J. Last.  Our common future. , 1987, Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique.

[86]  Shuji Yamamoto.  Japan's new industrial era— I. Restructuring traditional industries , 1986 .

[87]  Gregory F . Treverton,et al.  Energy and Security , 1981 .

[88]  Joseph S. Nye,et al.  Energy and Security , 1981 .

[89]  R. Moe.  Government Corporations and the Erosion of Accountability: The Case of the Proposed Energy Security Corporation , 1979 .

[90]  C. S. Holling.  Resilience and Stability of Ecological Systems , 1973 .

[91]  J. R. Stewart.  Japan's Manchurian Base , 1942 .