This dissertation explores the potential of renewable energy and efficiency strategies to solve the energy challenges faced by the people living in the biosphere reserve of El Vizcaíno, which is located in the North Pacific region of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. This research setting provides a practical analytical milieu to understand better the multiple problems faced by practitioners and agencies trying to implement sustainable energy solutions in Mexico. The thesis starts with a literature review (chapter two) that examines accumulated international experience regarding the development of renewable energy projects as a prelude to identifying the most salient implementation barriers impeding this type of initiatives. Two particularly salient findings from the literature review include the importance of considering gender issues in energy analysis and the value of using participatory research methods. These findings informed fieldwork design and the analytical framework of the dissertation. Chapter three surveys electricity generation as well as residential and commercial electricity use in nine coastal communities located in El Vizcaíno. Chapter three summarizes the fieldwork methodology used, which relies on a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods that aim at enabling a gender-disaggregated analysis to describe more accurately local energy uses, needs, and barriers. Chapter four describes the current plans of the state government, which are focused in expanding one of the state’s diesel-powered electricity grids to El Vizcaíno. The Chapter also examines the potential for replacing diesel generators with a combination of renewable energy systems and efficiency measures in the coastal communities sampled. Chapter five analyzes strategies to enable the implementation of sustainable energy approaches in El Vizcaíno. Chapter five highlights several international examples that could be useful to inform organizational changes at the federal and state level aimed at fostering renewable energy and efficiency initiatives that enhance energy security, protect the environment, and also increase economic opportunities in El Vizcaíno and elsewhere in Mexico. Chapter six concludes the thesis by providing: a summary of all key findings, a broad analysis of the implications of the research, and an overview of future lines of inquiry.

The continuous depletion of fossil fuel reserves, the global agenda on climate change and threats to energy security have led to increased global interest in the exploration, production and utilisation of bioenergy and biofuels. Access to modern bioenergy carriers derived from the efficient conversion of locally available biomass resources is indispensable for economic growth, rural development and sustainable development in developing countries. Deployment of bioenergy/biofuels technologies has significantly varied across the globe. The least developed countries (LDCs) and developing countries are still highly dependent on traditional biomass technologies with low conversion efficiency, which are typically associated with significant environmental and health impacts. Meanwhile, emerging economies and developed countries are progressively promoting biofuel industries and international trade. They are also engaged in making biofuels a sustainable proposition by developing sustainability criteria. The goal of this thesis is to address the sustainability of bioethanol production derived from one of the key feedstocks/energy crops: sugarcane. This will be done by analysing different development contexts and environmental constraints in terms of geopolitical situation, economic development and state-of-the-art technologies in agro-industrial development. Life cycle assessment (LCA), system studies, and techno-economic optimisation are the main methodological approaches applied in the thesis. The thesis primarily addresses three key questions for analysing the sustainability of bioethanol production. The first research question investigates the key parameters affecting the sustainability of bioethanol production and use in a low-income country using the case of Nepal. The net energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) balances are identified to be the main sustainability criteria of the sugarcane-molasses bioethanol (Paper I and II). Results of the lifecycle studies show that the production of bioethanol is energy-efficient in terms of the fossil fuel inputs required to produce the renewable fuel. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the production and combustion of ethanol are also lower than those from gasoline. The study also evaluates the socio-economic and environmental benefits of ethanol production and use in Nepal, concluding that the major sustainability indicators are in line with the goals of sustainable development (Paper III). Assessment of the biofuel (molasses-bioethanol) sustainability in Nepal is the first of its kind in low-income countries, and serves also the purpose of motivating the assessment of ethanol production potential in other LDCs, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The second question critically evaluates methodologies for accounting the lifecycle GHG emissions of Brazilian sugarcane ethanol in European and American regulations, depicting commonalities and differences among them (Paper IV). GHG emissions are becoming increasingly important as part of sustainability criteria in the context of the expansion of biofuel production and international trade. However, different methodologies still lead to quite different results and interpretation. To make this an operational criterion for international comparisons, it is necessary to establish unified methodological procedures for accounting GHG emissions. The thesis identifies the major issues as  N2O emissions from agricultural practices, bioelectricity credits in fuel production, and modelling approaches in estimating emissions related to direct and indirect land use change (LUC &amp; iLUC), that need to be addressed for establishing methodological coherences. The third research question investigates how the sugarcane bioethanol industry can be developed in terms of energy security and the diversification of energy sources. The case of complementarity between bioelectricity and hydropower is evaluated in the cases of Nepal and Brazil and presented in Paper V. Bioelectricity could offer a significant share of electricity supply in both countries provided that favourable political and institutional conditions are applied. Finally, in order to find the choice of technological options for the production of second generation (2G) bioethanol and/or of bioelectricity, a techno-economic optimisation study on the bulk of sugarcane bio-refineries in Brazil is carried out in Paper VI, taking into account the entire lifecycle costs, emissions, and international trade. The study shows that it is worthwhile to upgrade sugarcane bio-refineries. Energy prices, type of power generation systems, biofuel support and carbon tax, and conversion efficiencies are the major factors influencing the technological choice and potential bioethanol trade. In short, this dissertation provides insights on the sustainability of the bioethanol production/industry and its potential role in the mitigation of climate change, improved energy security and sustainable development in different country contexts, as well as methodological contributions for assessing the sustainability of biofuels production in connection with energy and climate policies. / Intresset för ökad exploatering, produktion och användning av bioenergi och biobränslen har föranletts av den kontinuerliga utmattningen av fossila bränslen, den globala agendan för att motverka klimatförändringar samt hoten mot energisäkerheten. Tillgången till moderna bioenergibärare, effektivt framställda från lokal råvara, är grundläggande för ekonomisk tillväxt, landsbygdsutveckling samt för hållbar utveckling i utvecklingsländer. Användandet av bioenergi- och biobränsleteknologi har varierat markant världen över. De minst utvecklade länderna (LDCs) samt övriga utvecklingsländer är fortfarande beroende av traditionella biomassabaserade tekniker till stor utsträckning. Dessa tekniker har låg effektivitet och är ofta sammankopplade med stora miljö- och hälsoskador. Samtidigt främjar tillväxtekonomier och utvecklingsländer biobränsleindustrin och internationell handel progressivt. Länderna arbetar även för att biobränslen ska bli ett hållbart alternativ genom att utveckla hållbarhetskriterier. Den här avhandlingens mål är att adressera hållbarheten hos bioetanolproduktion från sockerrör, en av bioetanolens nyckelråvaror. Målet kommer att nås genom analyser av industrins nationella utvecklingsmiljö samt miljö- och klimatmässiga begränsningar som härstammar från den geopolitiska situationen och den ekonomiska tillväxten i landet, samt analyser av teknologier i den agro-industriella utvecklingen. De huvudsakliga metoder som använts är livscykelanalys (LCA), systemstudier och tekno-ekonomisk optimering. Avhandlingen adresserar primärt tre nyckelfrågor för att analysera hållbarheten hos bioetanolproduktion. Den första forskningsfrågan belyser hur nyckelparametrar påverkar hållbarheten hos produktion och användning av bioetanol i låginkomstländer, med fallstudien Nepal som utgångspunkt. Nettoenergi- och växthusgasbalanser identifieras som de huvudsakliga hållbarhetskriterierna för sockerrör-melass-baserad bioetanol (Artikel I och II). Livscykelstudiernas resultat visar att produktionen av bioetanol är energieffektiv sett från den mängd fossila bränslen som produktionen av förnybart bränsle krävt. Växthusgasutsläppen från produktion och förbränning av etanol är dessutom lägre än utsläppen från bensin. Studien utvärderar de socio-ekonomiska och miljö- och klimatmässiga fördelarna med produktion och användning av etanol i Nepal. Slutsatsen är att indikatorerna för hållbarhet ligger i linje med målen för hållbar utveckling (Artikel III). Bedömningen av biobränslens (melass-baserad etanol) hållbarhet i Nepal är den första studien i sitt slag för låginkomstländer. Studien motiverar dessutom en bedömning av potentialen för etanolproduktion i andra LDCs, speciellt i de afrikanska länderna söder om Sahara. Den andra forskningsfrågan kräver en kritisk utvärdering av metoderna för hur livscykelutsläpp från brasiliansk sockerrörsetanol redovisas i europeiska och amerikanska regleringar (Artikel IV). Artikeln, som påvisar likheter och skillnader mellan regionerna, visar att växthusgasutsläpp blir en mer och mer viktig del i hur hållbarhetskriterier definieras när expansionen av biobränsleproduktion och internationell handel diskuteras. Olika metoder för redovisningen av växthusgasutsläpp leder dock till mycket olika resultat och tolkningar. Det är nödvändigt att etablera en enhetlig metod för redovisning av växthusgasutsläpp för att skapa ett kriterium som möjliggör internationella jämförelser. Avhandlingen identifierar de mest beaktansvärda problemen för att etablera en enhetlig metod: N2O-utsläpp från jordbruksprocesser, tillgodoräknande av bioelektricitet inom bränsleproduktion, samt modelleringsmetoder för att uppskatta utsläpp relaterade till direkt och indirekt landanvändning (LUC och iLUC). Den tredje forskningsfrågan utreder hur industrin för sockerrörsbioetanol kan utvecklas från ett energisäkerhetsperspektiv, med speciell hänsyn till diversifieringen av energikällor. I Artikel V presenteras hur bioelektricitetsproduktion och vattenkraft kan komplettera varandra i fallen Nepal och Brasilien. Bioelektricitet skulle kunna bidra markant till tillförseln av elektricitet i båda länderna under förutsättning att de politiska och institutionella förutsättningarna är fördelaktiga. Slutligen utförs en tekno-ekonomisk studie för att identifiera den optimala teknologin för produktion av andra generationens (2G) bioetanol och/eller bioelektricitet. Studien görs för merparten av sockerrörsbioraffinaderierna i Brasilien och utgör Artikel VI. Studien tar fullskaliga livscykelkostnader i beaktande samt utsläpp och internationell handel. Studien visar att det är värt mödan att uppgradera befintliga sockerrörsbioraffinaderier. De dominerande påverkansfaktorerna för valet av teknologi och potentialen för bioetanolhandel är energipriser, typ av kraftproduktionssystem, biobränslestöd och koldioxidskatt, samt processernas effektivitet. Kortfattat behandlar den här avhandlingen bioetanolproduktionens och bioetanolindustrins hållbarhet. Avhandlingen ger insikt i dess potentiella roll för att motverka klimatförändringar, förbättra energisäkerhet samt främja hållbar utveckling i olika nationella sammanhang. Avhandlingen bidrar dessutom med metodutveckling i hur hållbarheten av biobränsleproduktion bedöms inom ramen för energi- och klimatpolicy. / <p>QC 20130813</p>

¡@With the change of economic globalization, the national security is no longer just the traditional nation defense or military security. Economic, political, diplomatic, technological, cultural, environmental and other fields related to national development are gradually considered into the scope of national security. Among, Economic security is the core of national security now. The protection of economic security concern about nation development, such as nation defense, diplomacy, and the standard of people¡¦s living. Not only every department in nation is interdependent with each other, but also any economy can't live alone. Economic development has closely relationship with the use of energy. No matter developed countries or developing countries, their reliance various energy are increasing (especially oil); however, because of the limited resource endowment, the energy competition is one of leading to the tense international relations. ¡@The distribution of oil is uneven. Middle East has more than half of the crude oil reserve, and the top ten largest oil reserve countries hold the 80% of the world¡¦s total reserve. But, the most two oil consumption region, North America and Asia Pacific, only own 8.7% oil reserve. United States and China are the largest oil consumption countries, while United States oil dependency is above 60%, and almost 60% of China¡¦s oil demand need to import from other countries. In order to sustain economic development (need enough oil energy), the imbalance of demand and supply let China and other oil-consuming countries have to negotiate with the oil-producing region - Middle East, Central and South America, and Africa. Africa is one of China¡¦s oil import region. China strengthen Sino-Africa relation through leader conference, high-level visits, Forum on China - Africa Cooperation, China¡¦s oil company¡¦s energy investment in Africa, economic aid, infrastructure and other diplomatic measures. The comprehensive cooperation contributes China to get Africa's oil resources.

中國的崛起如同現實主義對於國家間衝突的解釋，亦即國際間對於中國威脅的廣泛論述，不論其威脅是否真實存在，其對國際間的影響已是不可否認的事實。1993年中國成為石油淨進口國，這是自1963年以來中國首次出現的石油赤字，宣示了中國石油供應自給自足局面的結束，也開啟了中國能源政策對外擴張的開始。 中國正由計劃經濟朝向其所謂的社會主義市場經濟轉型，對於在2050年達到中等發達國家水平的目標而言，現階段的發展將是一個重要的轉折。中國的經濟發展計畫，預約了對於石油的消費，其能源消費結構的錯置與供應來源的單一性以及潛在的脆弱性，對於中國的能源安全來說無疑是一個潛在的負面因素。尤其是當增加石油進口成為解決中國能源安全矛盾的必要路徑時，對外的能源政策將是確保中國能源安全是否穩定的關鍵點。 國家為了能源的安全獲得確保，必然發展對內保護對外擴張的能源政策，尤其是仰類進口能源的國家，其對外的能源政策將更具侵略性。中國的能源安全戰略圍繞在多元化為中心的概念展開，包括能源的來源、種類、路線以及運輸與獲得方式的多元化。對內，中國透過多元管道強化本身的能源安全鏈，避免對於進口石油產生過度依賴。對外，中國領導階層積極的出訪，綜合外交的力量推展「能源外交」，全方位的在全球佈局，突破大國對中國軟性的圍堵，除了獲得實質的石油收益外，也開啟了中國外交的新趨向。 / China rises abruptly symbolizes the explanation of realism is on a collision between the countries. Meanwhile the world make a popular discussion about they were threatened by China. Whatever it exist or inexistence, but it definitely influence the whole world. Until 1993 China became the petroleum importer that caused first deficit in China since 1963. It announced to end in self-contained petroleum and commence opening the extensive of energy resources policy. The China is going to plan the economics that go forward and change into socialist marketing. For the 2050, they’ll expect to achieve the goal of middle-development country, and a turning point in the developing at this most important stage now. In their economics- development planning which bespeak the petrol expense is error of structures of resources expense, single-supply source and potential frailty. It was without doubt that potential negative factors for safety of energy resources of China. When they increase to import the petroleum, it becomes to solve the safety of energy resources was confusing with necessary method. An external policy of energy resources will ensure China to connect the safety of energy resources if it's stable. They need safety of energy resources was assured so that they must develop the policies are internal protection and external extension. Especially the country depend on the resources imported, the external policy will more invasion. The safe policies of resources are around the conception of diversity are origin, kinds, channels, transportation and so on. For domestic policies, China use the diverse channels to strong the energy in Security and avoid to over rely on the imported petroleum. For foreign policies, China leaderships are highly active to make an official visit and diplomatic power combined to promote the “Energy diplomacy”. They operated the overall strategy of global and broke through soft containment of super state to them. Therefore China not only gains much benefit of petroleum virtually but opens the new tending of diplomacy.

This thesis addresses the problems associated with security of the electricity supply in the UK. The British electricity supply industry has experienced a significant structural change. Competition has been brought into the electricity industry and a single wholesale electricity market of Great Britain has been established. The evolution of the British electricity market raises new challenges, such as improving the liquidity of wholesale markets and developing clean energy. The wholesale electricity prices are less transparent and trading arrangements are very complex in the British electricity market. In this thesis a fundamental model, called a stack model, has been developed in order to forecast wholesale electricity prices. The objective of the stack model is to identify the marginal cost of power output based on the fuel prices, carbon prices, and availability of power plants. The stack model provides a reasonable marginal cost curve for the industry which can be used as an indicator for the wholesale electricity price. In addition, the government's targets for climate change and renewable energy bring new opportunities for wind energy. Under the large wind energy penetration scenario the security of the energy supply will be essential. We have modelled the correlations between wind speed data for a set of wind farms. The correlation can be used to measure the portfolio risk of the wind farms. Electricity companies should build their portfolio of wind farms with low or negative correlations in order to hedge the risk from the intermittency of wind. We found that the VAR(1) model is superior to other statistic models for modelling correlations between wind speeds of a wind farm portfolio.

經濟是習近平發展「中國夢」不可或缺的重要支柱，中國在經濟高速發展下，能源消耗量持續激增，缺乏能源將對經濟與社會發展產生負面影響，對外依存度日益擴大，增加石油及天然氣進口，是解決中國能源短缺問題的主要方法。 就中國能源安全而言，外部面臨海外能源來源受周邊地緣政治影響，內部存在能源結構上過度依賴煤炭等問題，而鄰接中國的中亞地區為新興能源中心，與中亞的能源合作能夠減少能源輸入風險、改善能源結構，有助中國克服能源安全的窘境。中亞的豐富能源不僅受到周邊大國的覬覦，也使中亞國家內部生成尋租與貪腐、制度弱化、資金錯配、阻礙長期發展等資源詛咒現象。本論文透過觀察中國與中亞間雙邊貿易、直接投資與大型投資與合約的變化，從國際政治經濟學的視角，分析獲得中國正運用經濟資源在中亞發揮政治影響力，逐步實踐具體的能源戰略。中國藉地緣經濟進入中亞，掌握經濟互補的競爭優勢，以提供中亞國家發展所需資金與基礎建設，並排除區域發展障礙，增進彼此能源合作的機會，達成鞏固中國能源安全的戰略目的。 / A strong economy is the rock of XI Jingpi’s “Chinese Dream”; however, because of the dramatically increasing energy consumption with rapid economic growth, energy deficiency leads to negative economic and societal effects in China. Therefore, in light of aggravated overdependence on energy imports, the major solution for the shortage would be searching for more energy accesses, especially for oil and natural gas. China faces several energy security problems. For example, domestically, China heavily depends on coal as thermal resources. Externally, energy accesses significantly are affected by geopolitics. However, Central Asia, a new but major center of natural resources, not just a neighbor of China, but also a crucial partner in energy cooperation capable of reducing China’s risks of importing resources from other routes, changing Chinese energy structure at present, and finally helping China overcomes the problem of energy security. Abundant resources is not just a blessing making other countries jealous, resources also becomes a curse resulting from rent-seeking, corruption, financial dislocation, etc. in Central Asian countries, and these issues hinder the long-term development in the region. From the international political economy perspective, I observe the change of bilateral trade, foreign direct investment, and major investment contracts between China and Central Asian countries to analyze if China gradually practices its energy strategy through imposing political influence in Central Asia via economic leverages. I find that China encourages energy cooperation with Central Asian countries by taking the advantage of geography and financing investment of infrastructure which both creates a promising environment of development.

中共隨經濟的高度發展對能源的消耗也愈來愈高，其能源產量除了煤炭之外，其他如石油、天然氣等石化燃料都面臨不足，已經無法靠自有石油資源來因應高消耗量，也造成日漸依賴進口的能源，而其能源進口地區主要是在中東，但是中東地區政局不穩定，且這條海上運輸線需經過索馬利亞和亞丁灣，沿線海盜猖獗，麻六甲的航道又比較狹長，若航運通道遭受阻斷，將足以對中共能源供應穩定帶來衝擊。 而中共於2009年12月啟動了第一條跨國天然氣管道—中亞天然氣管道(閥門)，該管道西起土庫曼穿越烏茲別克中部和哈薩克南部地區，經新疆霍爾果斯口岸入境;這等於打通了中共和中亞地區各國的進口原油的通道。截至2014年4月中旬，從新疆霍爾果斯口岸入境的中亞天然氣管道，已累計向中共輸送天然氣達到500億立方米。 然而新疆維吾爾自治區位於中共西北部地處，自古以來就是中共向西開放的重要門戶，有長達5,600公里的邊境線，惟新疆少數民族乃未停息的宗教不安問題，一直是北京及中亞最可能的潛在引爆點。為維持中共新疆地區社會穩定、經濟健康發展、民族團結、邊防鞏固及維護和保持新疆社會大局穩定，因此中共對新疆境內分離份子的態度（新疆境內有42﹪維吾爾族人），自然是中共關切所在。因此中共於新疆地區執行各項維穩及反恐任務，來抑制少數伊斯蘭教激進份子的東突厥斯坦獨立運動思潮，來達到其穩定內部社會秩序、並藉由與國際間的反恐合作持續在反恐建設上加強作為，鞏固政權及確保經由陸路運輸的石油氣管道安全，是當前對新疆最重要及緊迫的任務;其發展對中共的能源安全戰略、擴大與中亞、南亞的能源合作、保持邊疆穩定具有十分重要價值，使得新疆作為中共石油資源戰略接替區的戰略地位更加明朗。 / While energy consumption rises significantly with the rapid economic growth, China becomes self-insufficient in all kinds of fossil fuel, such as oil and natural gas, except coal, and depends more and more on imported resources, accordingly. China exports its energy resources from the Middle East mostly, however, stable supply from this area cannot be promised. First of all, many oil-producing countries in the Middle East suffer from regime transitions; secondly, the problem of pirate in the offshore Somalia and the Gulf of Aden cannot be overcome, and it would be highly inconvenient if the sea lines through the Strait of Malacca were interrupted. Therefore, China began to construct the first gas interstate pipeline in Central Asia, which starts from Turkmenistan, central Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, and enters China through the border city in Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous region, Horgos. Until mid-April 2014, this pipeline has delivered 50 billion cbm natural from Central Asia to China. However, this region, located in the Northwest China with 5,600 borderline, has been a disturbing issue for China because of conflict among ethnic and religious minorities and Chinese people. In order to maintain the stability in the economy, society and diverse ethnics in the border, China practices several policies, such as stabilization and counter-terrorism, to suppress the independence activity by Islamic extremists in Uyghuristan. Additionally, is important for China to secure the pipeline through Central Asia and the local governance by counter-terrorism with international cooperation. Therefore, Xinjian has strategic value for China regarding energy security, not just for the resource access to Central Asia, but also for the cooperation in South Asia. Central Asia, energy security, land pipeline, stabilization in Xinjian

Susidomėjimas ateities studijomis kaip moksline veikla ypač padidėjo pastaraisiais metais, tai paskatino poreikis prognozuoti galimus socialinius, ekonominius, ekologinius ar politinius pokyčius sparčiai besivystančiame pasaulyje. Socialiniuose bei politikos moksluose prognostiniai metodai ilgą laiką buvo laikomi nepatikimais, tačiau, pastaruoju metu, suvokdami prognozavimą kaip neatsiejamą strateginio planavimo dalį politinių procesų tyrėjai vis dažniau taiko scenarijų konstravimo metodą, mėgindami atrasti galimus ateities įvykių raidos variantus. Patikimas energijos išteklių tiekimas yra vienas pagrindinių valstybės saugumo garantų. Ateities energetikos sektoriaus vystymasis priklauso nuo daugelio kintamųjų, tokių kaip augantis energijos poreikis, aplinkosaugos reikalavimai, technologinis progresas, liberalizavimo procesai ir t.t., todėl norint tinkamai pasiruošti galimiems pokyčiams reikalingas nuoseklus ir racionalus politinis planavimas. Labai svarbu įvertinti būsimus iššūkius, galimybes bei tikėtinas raidos kryptis, o scenarijų kūrimas yra tinkamiausias metodinis įrankis šiems tikslams pasiekti. Pagrindinis darbo tikslas yra sukonstruoti galimus Lietuvos, Latvijos ir Lenkijos energetinio saugumo scenarijus. Norint pasiekti šį tikslą pirmiausiai reikia apsibrėžti energetinio saugumo sąvoką bei scenarijų konstravimo metodą. Svarbu apžvelgti visų trijų valstybių energetikos sektorius, jų stipriąsias ir silpnąsias puses. Kadangi Lietuva, Latvija ir Lenkija yra Europos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Over the last decade policy analysts around the world demonstrate a growing interest in future studies. It is influenced by the need to foresee economic, social or political changes in rapidly developing world. For a long time future studies in political and social sciences were considered unreliable. However, in the recent years, foresight became an important part of strategic planning, thus scenario building method is more and more often used by policy analysts. Uninterrupted and reliable energy supply is one of the main pillars of country’s national security. Future development of the energy sector depends on many variables such as the growing energy demand, the technological development, the liberalization of the energy markets etc. Therefore, if countries want to prepare properly for possible changes, consistent and rational political planning is needed. It is very important to assess the future challenges, possibilities and the most likely trends of development, whereas scenario building is the most suitable method for reaching these objectives. The main objective of this research paper is to build possible energy security scenarios for Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. First of all, to achieve this objective one needs to define energy security and scenario building method. It is also important to review the energy sector of each of the three countries, in order to find strengths, weaknesses and main threats to their security. The EU common energy policy has a direct... [to full text]

This thesis analyses Turkey&rsquo / s energy policies and Turkey&rsquo / s foreign relations through the energy issues in the Eurasian region. In the first phase, the energy policies implemented by the state and free market orientation in Turkish energy sector will be discussed. The impacts of neo-liberal economic policies, regional organizations (the European Union and OECD), and global finance institutions (International Monetary Fund &ndash / the IMF and the World Bank &ndash / WB) on Turkish energy sub-sectors, particularly since the beginning of the 1980s, will be examined. In the second phase, Turkey&rsquo / s own autonomy and effectiveness within major energy pipeline projects in the Eurasian energy axis will be questioned in the post-Cold War period. Turkey&rsquo / s relations in the energy issues with the European Union, Middle East, Caucasus and Turkic States, Russia and the United States (US) will be discussed. Basic vulnerabilities in Turkish energy sector and possible acquisitions of Turkey through its international energy deals will be emphasized.

Most studies in environmental politics have traditionally examined three broad areas: the degradation of the environment; the regulatory regimes governing the environment; or environmental activism within the affluent North. This thesis provides an alternative perspective, exploring environmental activism in the less affluent South. In particular, while human rights and social justice perspectives have historically been largely absent from many environmental movements of the North, this thesis argues that, due to precarious living conditions and authoritarian governance, these issues are of primary importance for environmentalists in the South. As a result this thesis contends that most environmental movements in the South are part of a growing global justice movement and that important cultural diversities within this movement can result in novel forms of resistance and environmental governance. The focus here is on the emancipatory actors within these movements in the South who challenge existing power structures within society. Likewise, by adopting a critical perspective, this thesis argues that large business interests pursue energy projects in the South in the name of energy security and large scale industrial development that are often inappropriate for local development and security needs. To test these hypotheses, four case studies were undertaken that examine transnational gas pipeline and large dam projects at various stages of their development which originate in either Burma (Myanmar) or Thailand. Empirical research, primarily in the form of interviews, undertaken in the countries hosting the various energy projects demonstrated that although environmental activists in the South were assisted by transnational activist networks there were also important local factors that impacted on the emancipatory philosophies, strategies and tactics of many activists in this region. These strategies have achieved some success, with environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes in Thailand now providing a potential opening for the political engagement of communities. Nevertheless, this thesis finds that the power of corporate interests in the international political economy often poses insurmountable barriers for activists to achieve both their short and long term aims. The findings suggest that despite the efforts of activists, local indigenous and ethnic minority communities continue to bear the brunt of the social and environmental costs of transnational energy projects in the South while receiving few of the benefits. Rather than safeguarding these communities from deprivation, these projects often exacerbate existing social tensions and conflicts, resulting in increased community insecurity. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1474397 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, 2009