Reading news headlines, I can’t decide if I am living in an episode of The Jetsons, Star Trek, or a prequel to The Terminator. What’s clear is that we are in the midst of significant technological leaps; leaps that will come with both great promise and cascading consequences. As discussed in prior episodes, The Prologue …
Although The Prologue was published over a year ago, many of the concepts discussed in the book are more relevant than ever. Drivers of the alternative energy megatrend: geopolitics, energy security, and environmental security (to name just three) have been thrust center stage as the world faces new 21st century post-pandemic realities and great power …
Since the Cold War, security has evolved from the security of the state and its resources to a broader sense that goes beyond the survival of nations. Today, security encompasses the environment, the economy, global health, cyber, biosecurity, demographic pressure and immigration, transnational crime, water and food security, and human rights. The alternative energy …
Episode 8: The Making of a Megatrend – Environmental Security Moves Center Stage Read More »
From wind and coal to oil and electricity, energy use in military operations has been a dominant strategic and tactical consideration since ancient times. The invention of the steam and internal combustion engines made warfare significantly more energy-intensive, allowing for rapid movement and maneuvering capabilities by ever-larger motorized military formations. Renewables’ contribution to the reshaping …
Episode 7: The Making of a Megatrend – Defense Transformation Read More »
COP26 once again shined a light on the role of nuclear energy in combating climate change. Disagreement over whether nuclear could be a meaningful part of a post-carbon future remains controversial. On one side, the U.S. announced that it will spend $25 million to help build reactors in Kenya, Brazil, and Indonesia. Russia is pushing …
In Episode 4 I discussed the relationship between the alternative energy megatrend and universal securitization. As a reminder, the security trajectory of the megatrend illustrates the increasingly complex terrain that policymakers must navigate to cope with expanding security threats (e.g., environmental, health, cyber, energy, economic), proving the utility of the framework of universal securitization as …
Episode 5: The Making of a Megatrend – Dynamic Security Prioritization Read More »
One of the more complex themes in The Prologue: The Alternative Energy Megatrend in the Age of Great Power Competition is the notion of universal securitization. The notion of universal securitization tries to grasp the 21st century’s increasingly interconnected globalized world in transition. This interconnectedness includes ever-multiplying actors with the ability to wield power through …
Making of a Megatrend: Episode 4 – Universal Securitization Read More »
Along with geopolitical empowerment, humanity’s insatiable desire for energy is a major driver of the alternative energy megatrend. It fuels the economy, allows us to travel, keeps us warm (and cool), keeps the lights on and Netflix streaming. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that world energy consumption will grow by nearly 50% between 2018 …
Making of a Megatrend: Episode 3 – Energy Security Read More »
Seven Key Drivers Propelling the Alternative Energy Megatrend To understand why alternative energy developments represent a modern socio-political, techno-economic, and ideological megatrend, it is important to examine the driving forces that propel them. For the sake of simplicity, I have boiled these forces down to 7 key drivers of the megatrend. These driving forces are …