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Some Energy Issues, page 4
Issue 3: Politics
Especially in relation to oil, it is obvious that the control of resources contributes to much political strife. Many countries gain an influence in world politics that they would not have without their control over oil resources.
This has advantages as well as disadvantages. One of the advantages is that at least a portion of the wealth created in the developed countries benefits the region, which provides the resource. These supplier countries usually are at an earlier stage of industrial development.
A disadvantage is that differences worldviews create worldwide conflicts that can very well rip the world apart.
This aspect of energy resources is a particular sensitive one. If the developed nations use a growing portion of renewable energy sources the influence of the supplier nations of today will invariably decrease and so will their income. This will have tremendous repercussions on the social systems in these countries. What will the consequences be? Will we see even more widespread poverty and famines in regions like the Middle East? Will we have growing problems of illegal immigration into developed countries? Will we see terrorism targeted at alternative energy sources?
In a complex world of today, answers to these questions are difficult to find. The situation is similar to the butterfly, which causes a hurricane. An action at one end, meaningful as it could look in a local context, might create a crisis that changes our world forever. A solution can propagate in the same way.
Another issue in the political realm is the resistance of those who benefit from the status quo to any change. Oil companies, for example, may resist a move towards alternative energy sources as their profits depend on oil. But the finiteness of oil is well accepted today and every large oil company today invests into research into renewable energy sources.
Similarly, most car manufacturers, who until today almost exclusively built combustion engines, have some agenda concerning fuel cells as a power source.
Given the resistance of systems to change, the move to renewable sources for energy will probably be gradual. However, the need is undeniable, even though willingness and sense of urgency may vary.
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