A novel perspective on energy transitions:
[Institute for the Analysis of Global Security]: The Chinese would probably leapfrog oil if they could. Dependency of any kind is foreign to their culture. But without substantial American technological support, China is likely to follow the path of least resistance and become a full-fledged oil economy. Failure to address the issue with the utmost care would undercut all of today’s costly efforts by the U.S. to reform and stabilize the Middle East.
The U.S. should embark on a frank dialogue with China, conveying to the Chinese the mutual benefits of circumventing oil and offering any assistance required to curb China’s growing appetite for it. A shift from oil into other sources of transportation energy Ö such as bio-fuels or coal-based fuels, hydrogen and natural gas Ö could prevent future conflict and foster unprecedented Sino-American cooperation with significant economic benefits for both countries.
But not, I suspect, enough to get the attention of the Axis of Oil.
