Policy & Practice: The Impact of the War in Ukraine on Energy Geopolitics

THIS IS AN IN PERSON EVENT.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has triggered a geopolitical realignment with profound effects on global energy markets. European countries have moved to curtail their reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies, prompting a scramble for “friendly” sources of fossil fuels and giving newfound impetus to efforts to decarbonise energy and transport systems. Meanwhile, Russia continues to use Europe’s ongoing dependence on its gas for political leverage, while looking to cultivate new sources of demand for its oil and gas in Asia and Africa. What are the political implications of these shifts in Europe and beyond? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new, bifurcated global energy order? And what do these developments mean for efforts to tackle the climate crisis? To discuss these issues and more, we are joined by leading experts on the geopolitics of energy. 

Helen Thompson is Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Cambridge University. Her current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the long history of the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century. She is the author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century (OUP, 2022), a columnist for the New Statesman, and was a regular panellist on the widely acclaimed Talking Politics podcast. 

Neil Morisetti is Vice Dean (Public Policy) for the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at UCL and Associate Fellow at Chatham House (Environment and Society Programme). He previously worked for the UK government, both as an officer in the Royal Navy and later in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Between 2009-2013 he was the UK Government Climate and Energy Security Envoy, and then the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change. He is an expert on climate change and its security implications, resource security, maritime security, and strategic planning. 

Chair: Fergus Green is Lecturer in Political Theory & Public Policy in the UCL Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy. His research traverses ethical, political and governance issues concerning the transition to a low-carbon economy.