WHENEVER I ruminate on the subject of the search for energy security, I look back 900 years into history and marvel at India’s practical wisdom. The country did not have any horses then – so India imported them from Iran. Today, we don’t have enough gas and I might submit that as far back as 1989 I posited what appeared to many a preposterous suggestion: that we import gas from Iran. Under current realities, we are still unable to do so. Hopefully, we will be able to get some horses to help with our transport problems. But my belief is that we will avoid this drastic solution with some original thinking, astute planning, and innovative technology.
The Oxford Dictionary says: “Security is freedom or protection from danger or worry.” In the energy sector, we need to define what constitutes danger and what causes worry. There must be a great deal, because you find a similarity in the words used by President Jimmy Carter and later by President George W Bush, quite an opposing political personality. Carter appeared on television when he was in the White House wearing a cardigan, lowering his thermostat and exhorting the US and the rest of the world to move towards energy independence by taking the fundamental step of curtailing wasteful consumption.
Energy security has several dimensions – economic, strategic, and military. About a century ago, Lord Selborne decided that coal would be the energy source for British naval ships. Enough oil was just not available to run the British Navy. Years later, a young Member of Parliament, Winston Churchill, decided to reverse that policy. He shifted the navy to oil, because he felt that ships could move much faster and the refueling time would be reduced substantially. And the results have been recorded in history. Naval superiority played a crucial role in helping the Allies win World War II.
There is a lesson here. In issues of energy security, it is important not merely to secure supply but also to make certain interventions in consumption. In today’s world liquid fuels are the main source of energy driving the transport sector. No part of the world is insulated from the impact of what is happening globally in the energy market. There are repeated warnings from energy pundits that if China and India reach the same per capita ownership of cars as the US, the consequences could be unpredictable. I find that statement a bit inequitable. The developed countries have established a path of transportation and energy consumption, which the rest of the world wants to follow. So if we really want the rest of the world to change we have to invoke what Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. If the global need is for a different transport infrastructure and system by which human beings, goods and freight move from one point to the other, then we need a totally different technology for which the developed world must set an example and create a new model. Most governments around the world have been neglecting what I believe should be given the highest priority. How do we bring about much greater efficiency in the consumption of energy and a shift to those sources of energy that might give us a higher level of security? This is where natural gas plays a role as an extremely important fuel. Perhaps in 30 or 40 years we would have a totally different set of energy sources that
In issues of energy security, it is
important not merely to secure supply
but also to make certain interventions
in consumption
would be exploited on a large scale.This will happen sooner rather than later.But,in the interim,natural gas is going to play an extremely important role.But there are imbalances.There are certain parts of the world where reserves are aplenty,but the supply of gas from those sources is still totally inadequate.There is an institutional problem here.The natural gas industry is not really looking at its role as it is emerging,and not seizing opportunities as they arrive.Companies supplying natural gas need to get together and come up with a macro view of world solutions,particularly focussing on specific regions that have large quantities of yet
France took a decision to move to
greater use of nuclear fuel, but along
side a large part of the transport sec
tor was converted to use of electricity
gfiles inside the government
VOL. 1, ISSUE8 |NOVEMBER2007
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untapped gas.It is entirely possible that if we can tap some unconventional sources of gas of which we have huge reserves – gas hydrates,biomass for gasification – it would then be entirely possible that gas would be able to supply a large part of the demand for energy for the human race.And technology would play a key role.
This requires a paradigm shift in technologies,infrastruc ture and end usage by which gas could be used on a larger scale.The French,for example,made bold moves after the first oil price shock.Lacking in adequate indigenous energy sources,France took a conscious decision to move towards greater use of nuclear fuel,but at the same time a large part of the transport sector was also converted to use of electric ity.So there was a matching of actions on the supply as well as demand side
.SO far as energy security is concerned,we’ve never faced a greater challenge than we do today.This challenge also presents unprecedented opportunities for collec tive action such as partnerships between government,indus try,academe and civil society.
Energy consumption, usage, emissions are inextricably intertwined with climate change that has become one of the major environmental concerns the world over.The quest for energy security must go hand in hand with the quest for sus tainable eco-friendly development.As Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),I am also deeply involved in this area.The fourth assessment report of this body,which involves hundreds of experts and scien tists from all over the world,along with the worldwide grow ing awareness of the impact of climate change and the threats that it carries,will garner substantial political support for moving to lower emissions,lower carbon dioxide emissions,and newer sources of energy.
In this,gas can play an extremely important role.And,if we can move to bio-fuels and resources that would bring about reduced net emission of carbon dioxide,there would be a major benefit for the human race and all living beings on this planet.In the years ahead,we will see an increase in the awareness of the major threats that the human race faces.My hope is that a different energy regime will emerge over a period of time,which will be less polluting,more equitable,and will certainly ensure that future generations will not blame us for having ruined what we inherited from nature’s bounty and benevolence.g
