Green upheaval: How will China lead the new energy era?
2024-08-17
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Green Upheaval: The Energy Revolution and the New World Order
Zhang Rui, Life, Reading, New Knowledge, Sanlian Bookstore
At present, influenced by a series of factors such as the energy technology revolution, the global carbon neutrality trend, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the world energy system is experiencing a historic transformation of accelerated adjustment of the global energy structure and increasingly low-carbon energy development and consumption, as well as a periodic scenario of sharp fluctuations in the energy market and intensified international energy geopolitical competition. On the one hand, the energy revolution provides a broad prospect for mankind to obtain and use energy in a more convenient, diverse and environmentally friendly way; on the other hand, geopolitical conflicts, global public health crises, extreme weather and other emergencies, as well as the overly aggressive practices of some countries and regions in promoting energy transformation, have aggravated the periodic turbulence in the international energy market. Under the great changes in global energy, China urgently needs to break the outdated and backward concept of energy security, focus on the actual needs of the energy system and the development trend of the world energy system, and establish a new concept of energy security and international cooperation.
Dr. Zhang Rui has been engaged in research on international energy politics and overseas power investment for many years.The book Green Upheaval: Energy Revolution and the New World Order is the result of his research combining academic thinking with work practice, local stance with global vision, and has the following notable features:
First, it is a cutting-edge discussion on global energy politics.Over the past 100 years, world energy consumption has usually been dominated by a single energy source: coal in the first half of the 20th century and oil after the 1970s. In the era of carbon neutrality, humans will live in a world with highly diversified energy categories, which will inevitably lead to a deep adjustment of international energy politics. This book makes a relatively comprehensive and detailed analysis of the macro trend of global energy politics, depicts the new pursuit of "reduction in growth" by various countries, the new normal of international competition and cooperation, and looks forward to the international political impact of different energy resources, different energy technologies and industrial chains.
Second, an in-depth analysis of the energy game among major countries.This book pays keen attention to the new trends and features of great power games, and provides a relatively detailed analysis of major issues such as climate and energy governance dominated by the West; the accelerated disruption and reconstruction of the international energy supply chain under the background of the Russia-Ukraine conflict; the geopolitics of key mineral resources; and the United States' efforts to gain control of the clean energy industry.
Third, there is great concern about the development gap between the North and the South.A major feature of this book is that it devotes a large amount of space to the predicament and struggles of Asian, African and Latin American countries in the midst of major energy changes, presenting the multifaceted, imbalanced and latent North-South divide in the global energy transition, and revealing the "green selfishness and arrogance" of some developed countries. These discussions ultimately point to the principles of fairness, justice, universal benefits and inclusiveness that are currently missing in global energy politics but should be upheld.
Fourth, innovative thinking on China’s energy diplomacy.In its pursuit of energy revolution, China will inevitably need a "diplomatic revolution" to match it and achieve energy security under open conditions. A key point throughout this book is to think about how China can occupy the commanding heights of international energy competition and shape new diplomatic advantages in the era of energy transformation. As the author said, China is becoming a global energy production force in the era of carbon neutrality. On the basis of firmly holding the "energy rice bowl" in its own hands, China should break the outdated and backward concept of energy security, establish a more ambitious identity pursuit, implement more precise cooperation plans, and act as a leader and practitioner of the new energy order, creating more peace dividends and development dividends through broader, deeper and more inclusive international energy cooperation.
I believe that under the new situation, my country needs to grasp the general trend of international energy development, implement the new concept of energy security, take effective measures, and calmly respond to major changes in the international energy situation: First, we must focus on the "dual carbon" goal, continue to steadily promote energy transformation, lead energy security with energy transformation, and shift from coal-based to the coexistence of clean coal, oil and gas, renewable energy and nuclear energy, and ultimately achieve an energy consumption structure with renewable energy as the main body, fundamentally getting rid of the "energy hunger" and "energy anxiety" of the fossil energy era; secondly, we must firmly promote the energy import diversification strategy. As the international oil and gas market shifts from a "seller's market" to a "buyer's market", the huge energy consumption market is becoming an important "structural power" in our hands, which can It will become a crucial bargaining tool for foreign energy cooperation and an important means to ensure energy security; third, we must strive to seize the commanding heights of energy technology, promote energy science and technology innovation to support China's energy security, and strive to make substantial breakthroughs in energy technology fields such as clean and efficient use of coal, exploration and development of shale oil and gas and natural gas hydrates, renewable energy, advanced nuclear power, distributed energy, advanced energy storage, smart power and energy Internet; fourth, we must continue to deepen energy system reform, build an effectively competitive market structure and market system, and form a mechanism in which energy prices are mainly determined by the market; fifth, we should make good use of both domestic and international markets, build a diversified and multi-level energy supply network, and enhance our voice and influence in global energy governance.
(The author is a professor at Peking University)
