International Issues In Energy Policy, Development, And Economics

The complicated nature of world energy has seldom been more evident than in August 1990, when Iraq seized Kuwait and its oilfields. Politics, economics and history were critical in influencing global energy markets during this period of turmoil. Unprecedented political and economic changes continued worldwide in 1991, confirming the delicate relationship between society and energy utilization. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, formerly the world's largest energy producer and the second largest consumer, injected a high level of uncertainty into all energy forecasting models. A burgeoning environmental movement around the globe has also led to revisions in long-term energy projections. This volume provides a systematic overview of international issues in energy policy, development and economics affecting today's rapidly changing world. It examines the factors that influence energy policies of key energy-producing/consuming nations around the globe, as well as surveying current trends in energy development, planning, technology and trade. Interactions between energy usage and the environment are also analyzed.
The contributors are from around the world and represent a wide variety of backgrounds in the energy field, including senior government, industry and academia.