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Achieving Energy and Environmental Security:
A Challenge for the United States
Toufiq A. Siddiqi
President, Global Environment and Energy in the 21st
Century (GEE-21), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
And Adjunct Senior Fellow, East-West Center (EWC),
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Presented at the
Regional Workshop on Energy and Non-Traditional Security
Held at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
28-28 August 2008
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Overview of Presentation
1. Background
2. Energy Security Challenges for the U.S.
3. Energy – Related Environmental
Challenges
4. The U.S. and Global Climate Change
5. Achieving Energy and Environmental
Security
6. Conclusions
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
1.Background
• Wood was by far the largest source of
energy in the U.S. until the 1860s.
• Coal supplied most of the energy for the
industrial revolution in the United States,
as it had in Europe. It still supplies over
20% of the total U.S. energy consumption.
• Petroleum has been the largest source of
energy in the U.S. since the 1950s.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Share of Energy Supplied by
Different Sources in the U.S., 2007
7%
8%
40% Petroleum
Nat. Gas
Coal
22%
Nuclear
Renewable
23%
Data Source: Energy Information
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008 Administration, 2008
Share of Energy Used in Different
Sectors in the U.S., 2007
29% Transportation
40% Industry
Residential and
Commercial
Electric Power
21%
10%
Data Source: Energy Information
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008 Administration, 2008
2. Some Energy Security Challenges
Facing the United States
• Energy Security requires meeting not only
the overall energy demand, but also
meeting the energy requirements of
specific sectors.
• The transportation sector depends on
Petroleum for 96% of its energy
requirement. It will take many decades to
substantially change the structure of this
sector.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Energy Security Challenges
(continued)
• During 2007, U.S. imported over 500 million
tonnes of crude oil, and over 100 million tonnes
of oil products. Such high reliance on imports
leaves the country highly vulnerable to supply
disruptions.
• Even though no region supplies more than about
20% of its imports, the oil supply chain is highly
integrated, and supply disruptions in one region
quickly result in shortages and price increases
almost everywhere.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Energy Security Challenges
(continued)
• Of the 132 nuclear power plants receiving full-
power approval from 1957-2007, 28 have been
shut down permanently. The number of
operating units has declined by 8% since 1990.
• The political and social obstacles to increasing
nuclear power are considerable. However,
greater use of nuclear electricity is one of the
principal options available at present.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Energy Security Challenges
(continued)
• 75% of the energy for the residential and
commercial sector is provided by natural gas.
Additional imports of natural gas may have to
come in the form of imported LNG at higher cost
than gas piped from Canada or Mexico.
• U.S. is already importing about 3% of its natural
gas consumption as LNG, mainly from Trinidad
& Tobago, Egypt, Algeria, and Nigeria. The
largest proven reserves of natural gas in the
world are in Russia and Iran, but the U.S. is
unlikely to import LNG from those countries.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
3. Energy-Related Environmental
Challenges
• Energy Consumption has the largest impact on
air quality and respiratory diseases arising from
air pollution.
• The use of wood for energy in the past led to
significant changes in the ecosystems in the
United States.
• Discharges of energy wastes on land (e.g. of
ash from coal combustion) and into rivers and
oceans (e.g. disposal of engine oil and
discharges from tankers), although decreasing,
continue to affect waterways and oceans.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Energy-Related Environmental
Challenges (continued)
• Radioactive wastes continue to be stored
at nuclear power plants, due to opposition
by individual states to transporting them or
storing them within the states.
• Due to time constraints, we shall not
discuss these topics here, but move on to
the issue of global climate change and the
role of the U.S.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
4. The United States and Global
Climate Change
• The U.S. has been, and still is, the largest
contributor to the emissions of greenhouse
gases that result in global climate change.
• It has also been a leading contributor to our
understanding of the scientific basis of climate
change and of analyzing the impacts of such
change
• The United States has been a crucial holdout
amongst the industrialized nations in agreeing to
set limits on greenhouse gas emissions to slow
and ultimately stabilize the world’s climate.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Trends in Emissions of Carbon Dioxide
from Fossil Fuels, 1950-2008
2000
1800
1600 USA
million tonnes carbon
China
1400
Russia
1200 India
1000 Japan
800 Germany
Canada
600
Rep. Of Korea
400
United Kingdom
200
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2006
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Total Carbon Dioxide Emissions from
Fossil Fuels, Top 10 Emitting Countries,
2006
United States
China
Russia
India
Japan
Germany Coal
Oil
Republic of Korea
Natural gas
Canada
United Kingdom
Italy
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800
Million tonnes carbon
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
The United States and Global
Climate Change (continued)
• For comparison purposes, carbon dioxide
emissions from other large Asia-Pacific
economies are shown in the next Figure.
• The U. S. accumulated emissions of
carbon dioxide from energy use since
1850 are more than 3 times those from
any other country.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Other Major Carbon Dioxide Emitters
from Fossil Fuel use in Asia and the
Pacific, 2006
Australia
Taiwan
Indonesia
Thailand
Coal
Malaysia Oil
Natural gas
Singapore
Pakistan
Philippines
Hong Kong SAR
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Million tonnes carbon
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Accumulated Emissions of Carbon Dioxide
from fossil fuels, 1850-2005
Other
Countries
20% USA
India 27%
2%
Japan
4%
China
8%
Rest of Europe
18% Russia
U.K. 8%
6% Germany
7%
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
5. Achieving Energy and
Environmental Security
• In today’s highly interdependent world, no
country can expect to have security by itself
when other countries are insecure. This is
particularly true for non-traditional security, such
as energy security and environmental security.
• Disparities in the quality of life of citizens in
different countries reflect in part the differences
in energy and environmental security. Reducing
such disparities is an important goal of world
development.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Achieving Energy and
Environmental Security (continued)
• The energy consumption per capita in the United
States is about twice that of the industrialized
European countries such as Germany and the
United Kingdom, and of Japan. However, the
GDP per capita of these countries is
comparable. The U.S. needs to improve energy
efficiency considerably.
• The emissions of carbon dioxide per capita in
the United States are double those in Europe
and Japan, about 4 times those in China and 20
times those in India.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Per Capita emissions of carbon dioxide
from fossil fuel combustion, largest
emitting countries, 2006
United States 6.0
Canada 5.6
Australia 5.2
Republic of Korea 3.5
Russia 3.3
Japan 3.0
Germany 3.0
United Kingdom 2.8
Italy 2.3
China 1.3
India 0.3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Tonnes carbon per capita
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Achieving Energy and
Environmental Security (continued)
• Stabilization of global climate during this
century requires reducing total emissions
of greenhouse gases to well below current
emissions.
• Emphasis within the U.S. on energy
security needs to shift from efforts to
expand oil and gas supplies to using
energy more efficiently and increasing the
share of renewable energy. Both will also
enhance environmental security.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Achieving Energy and
Environmental Security (continued)
• Renewable energy supplies 7% of total energy
consumed in the U.S. in 2007. Most of this is
from hydropower, but the use of wind power has
expanded greatly during the past ten years.
During 2007, $9 billion was spent on adding
over 5,000 MW of wind capacity. Total wind
power capacity now stands at about 17,000 MW.
• Solar PV has been much slower in increasing,
due to higher cost, but is expected to grow faster
if fossil fuel prices stay high.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Need to reconcile U.S. and
Developing Country Perspectives
• The United States has stated that it will not
reduce emissions unless developing countries
such as China and India also do so. It argues
that unilateral reductions will hurt its economy,
while overall global emissions keep increasing.
• The developing countries say that the emphasis
should be on per capita emissions rather than
total emissions. Limiting emissions now will
prevent them from further developing their
economies.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Achieving Energy and
Environmental Security (continued)
• One possible approach is to set a goal of, for
example, reaching 2 tons of carbon equivalent
emissions per capita by 2025 for each country. A
few additional years could be given for countries
starting from a very high base, such as Australia,
Canada, and USA.
• Won’t present a difficulty for Asian countries
except Japan, South Korea, and possibly China.
• A longer term goal would be to get well below
1ton of carbon equivalent per capita by 2050.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
6. Conclusions
• Global Climate Change presents an
unusual example of a challenge in which
the security of every country’s
environment is closely linked to that of all
the other countries. By addressing this
concern vigorously, the United States
would be helping itself as well as helping
the rest of the world.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Conclusions (continued)
• One benefit of higher energy prices is that
the economic, energy, and environmental
security of the U.S. requires that it place a
greater emphasis on using energy more
efficiently, and on accelerating the
development of non-fossil energy sources.
This is already beginning to happen, e.g.
with wind power.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Conclusions
• Many states and companies in the private sector
have already set goals within their jurisdictions
to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon
dioxide emissions.
• The U.S. Congress has already passed or
introduced legislation that requires or promotes
such measures throughout the country.
• The next U.S. administration is likely to be quite
active in addressing issues of energy and
environmental security.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
Thanks!
• I would like to thank our hosts at the S.
Rajaratnam School of International
Studies for inviting me to make this
presentation.
• I would also like to thank the audience for
putting up with a presentation where the
author is not present to receive comments
and answer questions. You are invited to
send these by e-mail to t.siddiqi@att.net.
Toufiq Siddiqi, GEE-21 and EWC, 2008
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