INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE at the WARSAW SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, MAY 29-30, 2008 | |||||||||||||
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1. Geography of energy resources Geography of energy resources Economic globalization and its different dimensions have been intensively and constantly discussed by many scientists, policy-makers, practitioners and society. We know quite a lot about the consequences of this ongoing process, including easiness in transfer of capital, communications, global transportation capabilities and host countries' effort to attract foreign investments. We also know that economic globalization encourages and influences other areas. Above mentioned issues are also considered as factors contributing to a growing global market of energy resources. A debate focusing on global geographic distribution of the non-renewable energy resources in the World still seems to be unsatisfactory. Important questions, like where the energy resources are available now and in the future, their current status, use, availability, and future potential need to be answered. Besides continental (land) resources more and more significant issues are related to shelf resources and their regional and global distribution. While extraction of energy resources is growing an environmental impact becomes a key problem for the global environment. Extraction of non-renewable resources is associated with land and water pollution and accelerates environmental change. Negative environmental impacts are different for extraction activities on the land and continental shelf. Renewable and non-conventional sources of energy Increasing demand for the energy, accompanied by the severe environmental consequences have moved the global attention to the potential of renewable resources as alternative sources of energy. While they are already concerned in environmental and energy policies over the world, their use and management, their global distribution, modern technologies and potential are still the focus of the debate. We believe the economic and social aspects of their use and commercialization will allow to more comprehensive contribution to the energy supply in the future. A discussion on global research and development trends of alternative sources of energy and their contribution to production and consumption in developing and developed country markets is expected. Special interest in the impact of these resources on economic development and energy security as well as on costs and benefits generated for countries and local economies is also expected over a debate. While renewable energy is generally recognized as environmentally friendly, in fact it produces some undesirable environmental consequences as well. Production of renewable energy affects environmental balance by introduction of new plant species, alternative use of biomass and natural by-products. It is, therefore, important to evaluate environmental impacts of new technologies and production methods on the global, regional and country scales. Energy transportation and distribution Looking at the globalization of the energy production cycle, both resource and final product transportation and distribution is identified as a specific growing problem. Global transportation capabilities of energy, including maritime and land transportation, seem to be a serious environmental and economic concern since the countries have to spread their supply sources over the world. Global flow of energy resources, its share in international trade, storage and processing centers as well as new and future transportation routes and their legal, economic and operation control are becoming an important global - economic and environmental - question. Transportation both at sea and in the land contributes to increased pollution of the water and land environment. Catastrophes associated with energy transportation cause massive destruction of local fauna and flora contributing at the same time to the economic losses (marine tourism and recreation) and negative social impacts (loss of sources of food, employment and cultural stability of the local populations. Security aspects and the role of ocean choke points as well as stability and safety of transportation from major energy exporting regions are also expected to be discussion inquiries. Energy markets Economic globalization from the one hand, and growing environmental concerns over the world form the other, have been definitely influencing resource and energy markets, with prospective changes in their recognition and approach to. The conference debate is going to focus on the global forecasts of major energy consuming markets, energy use trends in major developed (OECD) and developing countries (China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia). Furthermore, we expect to discuss global and regional implications of those processes, impacts of these trends on world energy prices and energy markets in other countries and regional solutions, also consequences of globalization and liberalization of the energy markets. Such analysis has to consider some environmental dimension, including the question how environmental costs of extraction, processing and transportation affect market prices of energy, now and prospectively. What is the impact of increased global consumption of energy on environment in developing countries? Energy policy Energy policies applied by countries over the world have to include both, economic, environmental and security related aspects. The objective is to analyze current strategies, their structures and instruments, including energy security, costs of supply disruption, national petroleum reserves, efforts of importing countries to assure direct access to the energy resources and diversity of supply sources. How we are doing now? How we are going to do in the future? Is the energy policy of the European Union and its engagement in global energy issues is a good pattern? The EU is growing rapidly energy dependant region. The prices being charged by external suppliers are a critical factor for the EU consumers, and these are more frequently global market prices, as in the case of oil and increasingly in the case of gas and coal. Increasing impact of energy issues on the governmental foreign policies has been observed. The conference is going to focus on the relations between energy exporting and energy importing countries, the role of such international organizations as the OPEC and International Energy Agency, using energy resources as a factor of development and political pressures, and certainly energy security as a driving force in international bilateral and/or multilateral agreements. Environmental policy related to production and use of the energy While energy and environmental policy are going to be more integrated, there are still some inconsistency between key interests and policy instruments in these two areas. The problem is more serious when considered from the global perspective, including objectives and expectations developed countries from the one hand and those developing from the other. Developing countries have limited capabilities to protect their environments that are affected by extractive activities in their territories. Energy consumption in this group of countries is associated with increased air and soil pollution. Limitations imposed on these countries might affect the pace of their development and the welfare of their populations. Specific issues to be analyzed during the conference include country, regional and global dimensions of legal-international regulations, environmental policy of the EU and its place in the global arena, climate change as a hot issue, what is the role of international aid and technical assistance in solving these problems in the developing countries? While environmental policy created by the developed countries goes quite far, the question how international environmental agreements and expected regulation in developing countries affect their development possibilities. With growing controls over clean environment the social costs are increasing but lack of environmental policy and investments in improved environmental quality would contribute to its degradation and low quality of life in affected countries.
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