The Cost of Neglecting Energy Security

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Governments must keep gas central to their energy strategy, or geopolitical shocks will continue to disrupt supply, drive volatility, and destabilize the global economy.

Energy security is not a side issue to address only during political or market crises. It is a strategic essential. When neglected, its effects do not stay within the energy sector. They spread through supply chains, into prices, and across the economy. In a more uncertain world, energy security must be treated as a permanent obligation of sound public policy.

That is why the present crisis must be understood correctly. The world is not short of natural gas and low-emission gases, whether pipelined or liquefied. What we are witnessing today is not an availability crisis. It is a crisis of supply security shaped by geopolitical prerogatives, where energy itself has become the victim. The question is whether infrastructure is strong enough to deliver gas where and when it is needed, at a cost consumers can afford. Years of underinvestment have made that question harder to answer than it should be. 

Gas remains an indispensable part of the global energy mix. It is plentiful, efficient, and versatile. It reliably supports electricity systems worldwide; is vital for heating, industry, and fertilizer production; and underpins a wide range of petrochemicals and manufactured goods. It is also increasingly important to digital infrastructure, including artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, whose need for continuous, high-quality power is rising faster than many existing systems and deep-decarbonization scenarios are prepared to........

© The National Interest