Source: EurActiv

11 January 2011 - With the world's population continuing to grow and demand for energy rising in emerging economies, the world will face a new energy and raw material imperialism, predicts Professor Friedbert Pflüger, director of the newly-founded European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) at King's College, London.

Friedbert Pflüger has previously served as spokesperson for former German President Richard von Weizsäcker, a member of the German Parliament, secretary of state in the Ministry of Defence and group leader of the Conservatives in the Berlin Municipal Parliament.

In October 2010, he co-founded the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) at King's College, London. He is now director of the centre.

He was speaking to EurActiv Germany's Ewald König.

Professor Pflüger: the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) at King's College, London, was established on 1 October 2010.  How does EUCERS differ from other bodies that deal with energy issues?

EUCERS deals with the European, foreign policy and security dimensions of energy policy. In light of the growing world population and the substantial rise in demand for energy and raw materials in emerging economies, competition for the limited resources of our world is intensifying.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) concludes in its latest annual report that global energy policies are not sustainable, neither regarding the requirements of climate change nor global security of supply. Against this background there is an impending re-nationalisation, indeed an energy and raw material imperialism.

It is increasingly the strategic interests of countries, and not the markets, that determine energy and commodity policies. Just look at the way China has positioned its state corporations in recent years in Africa, Latin America or Central Asia, which have energy or natural resources.

In addition, China has recently exploited its factual production and export monopoly of rare earths in a political move. A diplomatic dispute with Japan has prompted China to de facto ban exports to Tokyo, although Beijing itself is increasingly becoming dependent on energy and raw material imports and is more concerned than ever about growing threats to supply security.

The problem of rare earths also shows that new dependencies, vulnerabilities and risks to supply security - and therefore geopolitical conflicts - can develop in the field of renewable energy and other 'green technologies'.

One may also turn to the North Pole, where the Russians demonstratively hoisted their flag on the seabed in 2007. Arctic fleets are set up and manoeuvres held. Additionally there is the threat of terrorists and cyber attacks on trade routes and so-called critical energy infrastructure. The water debate will also be put forward in the coming years.

All of this has enormous foreign and security policy implications. Analysing these developments and identifying how impending resource conflicts can be resolved peacefully or even prevented is an important task for the EU and its member states.

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