Global energy economy
On 'The World,' energy analyst Michael Klare talks about a new global ranking: energy haves and have-nots.
The earthquake in China has damaged countless power plants and transmission lines, which means the country should be consuming less energy in the coming weeks and months. But don't expect the trend to last. Energy analyst Michael Klare says China's appetite for energy is ravenous, and it’s just one of many stresses on the world’s energy markets.
In his new book, "Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy," Klare argues that the scramble for energy is creating a new global ranking of haves and have-nots. According to Klare: "We've reached a point where the industry is no longer capable of satisfying rising demand. So those few countries that have a surplus of energy are in a very powerful position and most of the rest of the countries, including the U.S., China, Europe, Japan, are supplicants."
Klaire says there are two kinds of rising powers: " ...those countries like Russia which have such a surplus of energy that they’re in a powerful position. But then countries like China and India have such strong economies that they’ve become powerful bidders in the energy market. So the U.S. is at an extreme disadvantage right now.
"This is part of a new structuring of world economic and energy power: on one hand, the energy have-powers like Russia and Iran are trying to strengthen their grip on the world’s energy. So there are whole new networks forming that are reshaping the world’s energy marketplace.
Klaire also talks about China's increasing appetite for energy and how it's like to turn to coal, and how the U.S. and China should collaborate on energy saving methods: "China relies on coal for about 70% of its energy input and unfortunately they’re not even using the most advanced coal burning techniques, the kinds that produce a lot of pollution.
"There’s talk of cooperation with China and talk about the new kinds of technology that will be adopted. It will be costly which is why the U.S. and China should work together to share the burden."
PRI's "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. More "The World."
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