Energy Politics Impacts

ENVR 4110
Badal Landge
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 Every functional system on this planet works on various types of energy. The usage of

energy to propel systems designed by humans started with discovering fire and then with

discovering various sources to produce that fire. Combustion of oil, coal and natural gas has been

our primary source of energy to propel human designed systems and societies. Over the past

century our society has developed in way that we require energy for our every need (Shaffer,

2011). Oil and coal are extracted by private or government industries, but the distribution of oil,

coal, natural gas is controlled by the countries governing body ((Shaffer, 2011). This is where

politics comes into play. In this paper I will discuss how individuals, communities, countries and

our modern society as a whole, is affected by the various political decisions made throughout the

world with respect to energy.

In our modern society, the sources of energy are several, ranging from conventional

sources such as oil, coal, tar-sands, natural gas to green energy sources such as wind propelled

energy, hydroelectricity, solar power, geothermal energy and nuclear energy (Frieden et al,

1996). Oil trades between countries is a major segment of modern economy, and sharing

knowledge and technologies pertaining to green energy, especially nuclear energy has been an

emerging trade between countries (Frieden et al, 1996). First let us discuss about availability of

these sources of energy and how it has affected economies and societies throughout the world.

Natural resources such as oil and coal are abundant in only few regions throughout the world.

The rest of the world has to depend on trade. Availability of sources of energy can shape a

country’s economy drastically ((Shaffer, 2011). Let’s take for instance a developed country like

Bahrain and a developing country like India. Bahrain, which has abundant oil present was
developed quickly from and underdeveloped nation when oil was excavated ((Shaffer, 2011).

Abundance and availability of energy enabled them to grow economically and increase their

population’s standard of living ((Shaffer, 2011). As the Indian sub-continent has comparatively

every less amount oil, coal and natural gas, they are not able to grow economically at the rate

Bahrain grew. Most funds are used in importing oil from Russia and the middle-east ((Shaffer,

2011). If there was abundance of energy resources in India, it could re-direct its funds to improve

its economy, develop better infrastructure and uplift the standard of living of its people ((Shaffer,

2011). In another instance, a developed nation such as Japan, too lacks the natural resources such

as oil, coal and natural gas. Hence, to compensate for the lack of availability of energy

generating resources, Japanese adapt to fuel-efficient cars and alternative green sources of

energy (Shaffer, 2011). What we realize from these examples is that demand for energy can vary

depending on how we decide to use it as well as availability and accessibility to energy are the

primary factors which shape our way of life.

Governance of energy will shape society. Politicians understand the supply and trade

with respect to energy; whether to use green energy, non-renewable resources or form a nuclear

energy pact. But most until now have failed to find the answer to a basic problem, that is do is

there a need for using so much energy (Falola et al, 2005). With Kyoto Protocol and Paris

agreement, we have established certain thresholds to carbon emissions and mitigating present

day climate change (Falola et al, 2005). Here is a where politics again comes into play. The

decisions governing bodies make will have an inevitable impact on the nation. A price hike in

fuel will result in a price increase with everything in the market including food (Falola et al,

2005). Hence, a solution to this should be less dependency on fuel energy. Yet nations invest

even greater funds in oil industries and import even larger amounts of oil to keep the economy
and society functioning. More dependency on oil and coal, the harder the economy will crash

when the major suppliers of oil and natural gas deny access or run out of it. This concludes how

energy politics is affecting the globe.

In terms of how it can create a major crisis within a nation let’s take another case study in

Turkey’s economical crisis caused due to energy politics during the cold war (Iskit, 1996).

Brenda Shaffer states in her book ‘Energy Politics’ that it is not uncommon to hear leaders and

states being criticized for mixing oil with politics. Several foreign policies are based on trades

pact of oil and nuclear energy (Iskit, 1996). Post world war 1, after the breakdown of the

Ottoman empire, several countries involved themselves in a power struggle for the region’s

natural resources. Turkey’s energy policies mostly designed to meet the country’s energy needs

and to lessen the dependence on imported oil (Iskit, 1996). In the 1950s Turkey discovered oil

fields in their south-west region, but only a modest amount of oil was being extracted from the

region (Iskit, 1996). At the same time, debates over foreign capital investments to boost

country’s economy were in discussion in Turkey as well as the rest of the world (Iskit, 1996).

But at the start of 1970s, the steady growth of Turkey’s economy was thrown off balance leading

to a major economic crisis in the country (Iskit, 1996). The cause of this economic crisis was the

steep rise in oil and petroleum prices leading to their total exports revenue being approximately 1

billion dollars less than their import revenue in 1973 (Iskit, 1996). Turkey’s oil crisis had several

stages post 1973. It made attempts to construct an oil pipeline between Iran and their mainland

but the deal never proceeded due to Shah of Iran refusing to start any trade with oil (Iskit, 1996).

The oil deal was struck with Iraq instead and was finished constructing in 1975 (Iskit, 1996). It

helped build economy for the Turkish only until the 1990 though with United Nations applying

embargo on foreign trades on Iraq. This led to a major loss for Turkey in terms of oil and also
leads to loss of millions of dollars of loss in the pipeline project even though it serves no function

(Iskit, 1996). What we can infer from this example is that how decisions made by the governing

body along with a shift in prices of oil in an oil supplying region leads to a major economical

crisis in countries which import oil. Turkey too played an important in the downfall of the Iraqi

government as the pipelines and their trade ties were used to put political pressure on Iraq during

the war (Iskit, 1996). At the turn of the century the foreign policies of Turkey had changed from

being a nation with less dependency on imported oil. They were now involved in energy politics.

We infer from this segment of history is that circumstances and movements driven by other

countries led Turkey change its policy from having no involvement to be a major energy politics

player. This too though was short lived and changes in policies took place when oil lines from

the fallen Soviet Union were open to trade (Iskit, 1996).

On several instances small communities get affected by the political aspect of energy. In

this segment we discuss about northern communities of Canada and their challenges faced by tar

sands extraction processes (McLachlan, 2014). We will establish an environmental aspect of

energy politics and how it has affected people, wildlife and plant life in the Athabasca region.

Two such communities in this region are the Mikisew Cree First Nation and Athabasca

Chipewyan First Nation (McLachlan, 2014). These two communities were concerned about their

health and wellbeing as drastic and severe changes had occurred with their people. Several cases

of community member getting cancer occurred over the years with the ratio of cancer patients to

healthy people being way higher than the Canadian national average (McLachlan, 2014). The tar

sands extraction involves various hazards to the environment. The tar sands process affected

waters seep into the ground water and the river, polluting the river with toxins causing cancer in

the communities. Several other health issues have developed from being exposed to pollutants
such as hypertension and diabetes (McLachlan, 2014). Yet the government at the time placed no

regulations on the effects of oil sands process affected waters on humans, land organisms and

aquatic organisms (McLachlan, 2014). Even though the regulations with respect to oil extraction

processes have been placed in recent years, there needs to be sufficient amount of oil extracted

from tar sands to keep the economy booming and our society’s daily functioning efficiently. In

this case energy politics leads to better well being of the society in the populated region at the

cost of well being of people in the rural north.

In terms of individuals, politics shapes the individual’s choices about energy efficiency

(Dietz et al, 2013). The emergence of using green energy has arose from the drastic measures

required to control global warming, and control the rate of the present day rapid climate change

(Dietz et al, 2013). Now we require individuals to chose green energy and live an environment

friendly life, but when we consider conservative politicians who question the reality about this

global issue, will make their followers believe the same thing they do and now we have an huge

group of people who decide to live the same lifestyle which led us to this global environmental

crisis (Spaargaren et al, 2008). This might not be pertaining to exact energy politics, but they are

still political decisions which lead individuals to enforce global warming and climate change

(Shaffer, 2011).

An individual is affected in several ways due to energy politics. Money is the primary

deciding factor on which way our society will move towards. Prices of fuel are a major factor in

an individual’s life as he has to be able to buy his needs to live in this society. When prices of

fuel and other energy increases so does the price of every other goods. Due to globalization, one

decision by a politician in other part of the world will decide how healthy the individual is going

to eat and how much he pays for his house. For example, Saudi Arabia is able to pump large
amounts of oil at the present, hence their spare capacity is less (Shaffer, 2011). Now considering

the current state of the middle east, in worst case scenario if Saudi is hit with similar

circumstances like Syria war, we will have a major price hike in oil around the world causing

several problems to various individuals on this planet. We need to start with system thinking and

understand the effects of energy politics with respect to when, how and where the consequences

of a political decisions will hit (Goodman, 1997). Another method to use by politicians when

making decisions pertaining to energy and trade of energy, is using a problem solution tree

which will enable them get a clear picture of current situations and for effects their decisions will

lead to (Snowdon et al, 2008). Consequences of energy politics raise important questions about

the functionality of our modern-day society and its over dependency on oil and natural gas

(Meadowcroft, 2009).

References

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