The politics of energy and the environment: bridging the divide

This chapter deals with the relations between energy politics and the environment and explores how an integrated approach has been slowly emerging. It does so by exploring two developments: the first one is the renewed interest for energy security and the incorporation of environmental sustainability in energy security considerations, the second one is the emergence of global energy governance, both as a process and as an analytical tool. The chapter illustrates the three challenges of energy politics: ensuring security of supply, protecting the global environment and reducing energy poverty. It shows that the challenges are determined by the characteristics of contemporary energy systems, which rely on fossil fuels, are unsustainable and need to be governed not only at national but also at global level. It then analyzes the transformation of energy politics, the emergence of forms of global energy governance and the main actors involved in it.