King and Gulledge: The Climate Change and Energy Security Nexus

If you haven’t seen it already, Dr. Marcus King, Director of Research at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs (and an Advisory Board member here at the Center), and Dr. Jay Gulledge, Director of the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have recently released an excellent new study of  academic scholarship and grey literature on the “climate change and energy security nexus.”

In the journal article, King and Gulledge conclude:

We have found significant linkages between climate change and energy security. From our perspective, climate change is the “actor” that may: 1) create second-order effects that exacerbate social instability and disrupt energy systems; 2) directly impact energy supply and/or systems; or 3) influence energy security through the effects of climate-related policies. This heuristic frame may be helpful to those who are responsible for mitigation policy-making and management of critical energy infrastructure.

In assessing the grey literature, however, they find significant gaps. In that context, they provide useful recommendations for future research agendas, including the utilization of more current science, a regional focus, more multi-level analyses (beyond the nation state), and the avoidance of negative bias.

King and Gulledge are leaders in the climate change and security field, and we’re delighted to see this product of their collaboration.