Dr. John Scire addressed our Forum last week on the topic, “American Energy Independence: A Realistic Goal? At What Cost? Goodbye CENTCOM? Dr. Scire has kindly allowed us to place his PowerPoint slides on the NSF website.
John reviewed the revolutionary changes, especially in oil and gas production, and particularly in North America and the United States. Just a few years ago, experts were predicting the world had reached “peak oil” and that oil and gas production would begin a steady decline. However, aided specifically by new drilling techniques (hydraulic fracturing) it now appears that the US might achieve energy independence in a relatively short period of time. If so, what are the national security implications of the tectonic shift in the nation’s energy balance?
In this talk, John discussed the potential as well as the pitfalls ahead in achieving energy self-sufficiency, the revolutionary changes brought about by shale rock exploitation, and the extraordinary success that the rapid expansion of natural gas production has generated. Scire looked at the national security implications of this revolution in oil/gas production, the prospects for future “resource wars” (particularly by China with its neighbors), and U.S. policy in the volatile Middle East (as John says, “Goodbye CENTCOM?”).
Here is the presentation: (PowerPoint) NSF6Feb-2-1
(PDF version) NSF6Feb-2-1