Unconventional Resources: The Shifting Geographies and Geopolitics of Energy

This article explores the geopolitical implications of the increasing diversity of global energy supply. The emergence of unconventional oil and gas marks a break with several established trends in energy supply. Due to their geographic location, unconventional resources contribute to supply diversity rather than concentration. Their production is driven much more by economics than politics. They also reduce the import dependence of some consumers, especially the US. Owing to domestic constraints, the EU has seized the new opportunities far less than the US and China. But as unconventionals reinforce global markets, they work to the advantage of all consumers in energy geopolitics.

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