Call for papers: Energy Security in the 21st Century

Call for papers: Energy Security in the 21st Century

A special issue of International Journal of Global Energy Issues

As we approach the end of the 21st century’s first decade, energy security is high on the policy agenda of the developed and developing world, and supranational organisations such as the European Commission, World Economic Forum, OECD, NATO, APEC and the G8. The European Union, the UK and Japan, to name a few, have spent considerable resources developing energy security strategies. Events such as a rapid escalation in oil prices, disruption of gas supplies to Europe during freezing winter temperatures, electricity blackouts following hurricanes or other severe natural disasters, tend to focus public and media attention on energy supply issues and measures taken by governments to overcome short-term supply disruptions. This also was the focus of energy security strategies following the 1970s oil disruptions.

But today's energy supply systems are far more complex than a few decades ago. For example, cross-border pipelines and strategic transport channels feature strongly, China and India have become major energy importers, there is an increasing reliance on an ever-smaller group of oil and gas suppliers, financial markets and energy markets are closely linked, and technology has created interdependencies between electricity and oil refining as well as natural gas processing. Energy markets are exemplars of liberalisation, fossil fuels dominate our growing energy dependence, most countries will never be energy self-sufficient and energy consumption contributes around 80% to global greenhouse gas emissions.

All these dimensions foreshadow a myriad of energy security issues for each energy source and right along the supply chain. For example:

• What does energy security mean?
• Energy security for whom and when?
• What are the challenges for energy security in today's world compared to the 1970s?
• What role should governments and/or supranational organisations play?
• Can domestic energy policies pose risks to regional energy security?
• Can energy security and climate change policies support each other?
• Can energy efficiency contribute to energy security?
• Economic efficiency, competition and energy security - are all three objectives compatible?
• What are the implications for energy security of our dependence on fossil fuels?
• Can supply disruption in one market spillover into another energy market stimulating a major increase in demand?

The aim of this special issue is to generate discussion about the many dimensions of 21st century energy security, the impact on all aspects of the supply chain – from source to final consumer – and the policy approaches required to mitigate energy security risks.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

• The concept of energy security and its evolution
• The assessment and/or measurement of energy security
• The energy security issues for different energy sources
• Energy markets (global, local and interrelated) and energy security
• Globalisation and energy security
• Market power and energy security
• Financial markets and energy security
• Macroeconomic policies and energy security
• Institutions, governance and energy security
• Technology and energy security
• Developing countries and energy security
• Demand growth and energy security
• Energy efficiency and energy security
• Affordability and energy security
• Energy poverty and energy security
• Policies stimulating investment in capacity and networks and energy security
• 'Decarbonisation' of electricity generation and energy security
• Geopolitics and energy security
• Climate change policies and energy security
• Sustainability and energy security
• Strategies and policy approaches to mitigate risks to energy security
• Regional and country capacities to manage energy security risks
• Regional vulnerabilities to energy security risks
• Nuclear power and energy security
• Physical threats and energy security
• The costs of energy insecurity

Important Dates
Submission deadline: 15 May 2009
First-round reviews complete: 30 August 2009
Deadline for final revision: 30 October 2009