The Green-Energy Revolution Will Make the World More Dangerous
Throughout modern history, the scramble for new sources of power has led to global competition and conflict.
Industrial revolution meets green revolution.
Photographer: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images
Think a green transition will free America from high-stakes competition over energy supplies? Think again. Since the Industrial Revolution, changing patterns of energy consumption have propelled international conflict. Today, the world is entering a very messy period, in which rivalry over sources of renewable energy will steadily intensify, even as older clashes over oil and other hydrocarbons continue to play out.
Energy is the lifeblood of civilization: Since the early 1800s, access to coal, oil and other resources has driven economic prosperity and military power. The struggle over energy is, in many ways, the story of modern geopolitics.