The Prospects for the Impact of Renewable Energies on the Geopolitical Transformation of Energy in the world (2023-2050)
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Associate Professor of International Relations, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan
2 Ph.D Student of International Relations, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan
Abstract
Since the onset of the third millennium, the production and utilization of renewable energies such as hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy have garnered significant attention from numerous countries. It is anticipated that in the future, the share of renewable energies in global energy production will experience a substantial increase. This phenomenon is expected to lead to a transformation in the geopolitical significance of two categories of countries—those endowed with fossil energy resources and those possessing renewable energy resources—resulting in a reconfiguration of their importance and positions in global politics. This study aims to investigate the changes induced in global energy geopolitics until the year 2050, posing the question of how the gradual rise in the share of renewable energies worldwide will impact the geopolitical significance and roles of countries with fossil and renewable energy resources, energy security, and global systemic transformations. In response to this inquiry, the hypothesis is formulated that the relative importance of geopolitics in fossil fuel-producing countries will diminish, while the significance and roles of countries with technical expertise in renewable energies will increase. Energy security will be less susceptible to regional and international political, economic, and security conditions. Additionally, the world will witness a diversification of power centers with China and other holders of technical expertise in renewable energies prominently emerging. Similarly, the significance of cobalt, lithium, and copper resource holders will elevate.
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