Publications /
Policy Brief

Back
Global trends in the energy sector and their implication on energy security in NATO’s southern neighbourhood
Authors
Rim Berahab
September 8, 2020
Related topics: 
Commodities & Energy
Energy transition and Renewables

The energy sector has undergone major transitions from the use of wood as a dominant fuel to the adoption of coal and, more recently, oil. In the 21st century gas has grown faster than any other fossil fuel and today renewable energy is growing even faster. The changes, combined with volatile energy prices and occasional shocks, create complex scenarios for the future of the energy sector. This has numerous implications, not only for the socio-economic development of NATO’s southern neighbourhood, and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries in particular, but also for energy security. Policymakers in the region should keep an eye on the current megatrends in the energy sector, and the short-term implications of one-off shocks like COVID-19, in order to define long-term strategies for a resilient energy sector.

This article was originally published on Real Instituto elcano Royal Institute.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Oasis Agrytech Hackathon (OAH) - Touria Benlafqih, Morocco (ADEL 2017)
    February 21, 2020
    To strengthen the role of youth as agents of community development, the Policy Center for the New South launched a year ago a call for projects grounded in new and innovative approaches to existing local problems. The Oasis Agrytech Hackathon project is aiming to preserve the Draa Tafil...
  • Download PDF
    Avons-nous peur pour notre environnement, notre écologie et notre biodiversité ?
    Authors
    Hynd Bouhia
    February 18, 2020
    On se pose plusieurs questions sur le futur de notre environnement, notre écologie et notre biodiversité. On doit tirer la sonnette d’alarme pour protéger le Maroc et la planète pour les générations futures. L’objectif de ce Papier est de mettre en avant l’importance des initiatives qui ont été déjà lancées par le gouvernement, le secteur privé et la société civile, en vue d’assurer l’adaptation et la mitigation aux changements climatiques. Le Maroc est précurseur dans cette lancée, ...
  • Download PDF
    Should we be concerned for our environment, ecology and biodiversity?
    Authors
    Hynd Bouhia
    February 18, 2020
    The future of our environment, ecology and biodiversity raises a number of questions. Vigilance is critical to preseving both Morocco and the planet for future generations. This Paper highlights the importance of ongoing government, private sector and civil society initiatives to ensure adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change. Morocco is at the forefront of this momentum, as illustrated by the organization of the COP22 in Marrakech in 2016, the implementation of a National ...
  • Climate Change: Three Reasons for Central Banks to Engage
    Authors
    Otaviano Canuto
    February 17, 2020
    - There are three possible justifications for central banks to engage with climate change issues: financial risks, macroeconomic impacts, and mitigation/adaptation policies. - Regardless of the extent to which individual central banks take action in each of the three areas, they can no longer ignore climate change. Last year, extreme weather events associated with climate change – floods, violent storms, droughts, and forest fires –occurred on all inhabited continents. In at least ...
  • The Evidence is Indisputable: An Opinion on Internet’s Energy Footprint
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    February 5, 2020
    I am pleading guilty. The evidence is indisputable, and denial a waste of time. I am using a weapon of mass destruction and threatening the future of our planet. I am killing life, a premeditated act. I   just have one excuse and four billion accomplices. I am an addict - a   polluter.  I use the internet. Our world is facing nuclear wars and climate change, the destruction of nature, the end of our civilization. Venice may sink, the rain forest of the Amazon turning into desert, t ...
  • Download PDF
    L’énergie solaire en Inde : priorité au photovoltaïque
    Authors
    Henri-Louis Vedie
    December 17, 2019
    L’Inde est confrontée, aujourd’hui, à plusieurs défis énergétiques : - Assurer la sécurité énergétique du pays, en généralisant l’accès pour tous à l’électricité. Ce qui n’est pas le cas en 2019. - Le faire en réduisant sa dépendance aux énergies fossiles, afin de mieux répondre aux orientations des Conférences des parties, COP 21 et COP 22. Pour cela, les autorités gouvernementales vont mener, dès 1981, une réflexion sur les énergies renouvelables, les conduisant à privilégier l ...
  • Download PDF
    Thinking outside the Grid: The role of decentralized power systems in electrifying Sub Saharan Africa
    Authors
    Rim Berahab
    November 15, 2019
    Meeting the energy needs of the developing world remains a critical development priority. Access to energy has been identified as correlating with economic growth as well as having positive impacts on education and health1. In sub-Saharan Africa, access to electricity has increased significantly since the 2000s, driven by the considerable efforts of countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania. But, despite this positive turnaround, nearly 600 million people ...
  • China’s Belt and Road Initiative: How has China’s energy security changed over the past decade?
    Authors
    Mehmet Öğütçü
    October 21, 2019
    Decades of rapid economic growth have dramatically expanded China’s energy needs. The magnitudes are impressive. China is now the world’s largest consumer of energy, the largest producer and consumer of coal, and the largest emitter of carbon dioxide. It is increasingly looking toward securing its future energy needs with sustainable alternatives. China has also become the world’s largest producer, exporter and installer of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, electric vehicles, ...
  • Download PDF
    From Asian Green Revolution 1.0 to Sustainable Green Revolution 2.0
    Authors
    Isabelle Tsakok
    Tharcisse Guedegbe
    September 27, 2019
    This paper is about the basic principles which should guide fertilizer policy for smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa It is not about detailed country-specific prescriptions on the “how” of policy. This important task should constitute the substance of detailed country studies. The overarching goal here is to use fertilizer to spearhead and sustain an African Green Revolution (GR). In this paper, fertilizer use is not considered as an end in itself, but as a necessary mean ...
  • Le modèle marocain de l’énergie solaire pourrait profiter à d’autres pays africains
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    Rim Berahab
    September 26, 2019
    Interviewée par Helmut Sorge, chroniqueur au PCNS, Rim Berahab, économiste spécialiste de l’énergie décortique dans son papier, les liens existant entre les énergies renouvelables en Afrique et les opportunités de croissance économique. “ Le modèle marocain de l’énergie solaire pourrait profiter à d’autres pays africains” Dans votre Policy Paper intitulé « Energies renouvelables en Afrique : Enjeux, défis et opportunités » vous expliquez l'importance de ces énergies et vous précis ...