Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Control or share?
These tensions
-
between liberalism and autarchy
-
express themselves in more
speci
c concerns over European strategies for maximising shares of global
renewable markets. This commercial question has a security read-over: is security
best advanced by global partnerships to spread renewable technology as widely as
possible or more narrowly by Europeans capturing the highest share possible of
new renewables markets? Much is said about the shift to clean energy represent-
ing an opportunity in economic terms. Many policy statements and documents
urge intensi
ort to establish market control over low carbon technologies.
The question arises: what is the relationship between such commercial opportu-
nities and security imperatives? Are European governments guilty of seeking to
protect market share and pro
ed e
ts to the detriment of overarching geopolitical
interest in disseminating new technologies? Or is the commercial momentum
behind European policies contributing positively to the broader agenda of climate
security?
As already indicated in previous chapters, on many measures, the EU has estab-
lished a healthy position in the international development of low carbon. Up to
2011, the global top ten ranking of states
'
climate-related innovations contained four
EU states
fth, the UK in sixth and Italy in
tenth.
33
In 2010, 13 of the top 15 research companies in clean technology originated
from the EU.
34
Spanish energy conglomerate Iberdrola is the second largest player in
the US wind generation market. Denmark is the world leader in world turbine
generation. The Desertec project is set to become one of the world
-
Germany in second place, France in
s largest renew-
ables initiative.
The Energy Roadmap 2050
states that decarbonisation should be a
competitive boon for the EU as an
'
in the global market for renew-
ables.
35
The Foresight document reports a high level of con
'
early mover
'
dence among the pri-
vate sector and government that the UK is well positioned to gain from low carbon
opportunities. This is an area in which European companies can once again compete,
unlike the mass production manufacturing in which they have lost shares to rising
powers. The UK
nancial sector is set to become a leading player in carbon trading,
with potentially sizeable bene
ts for London.
36
At the same time, it is widely acknowledged that Europe has more recently lost
ground in green technology. China and the US have begun to steal a lead. Inves-
tors now rank European states
attractiveness as locations for renewable projects far
lower in relative terms than a decade ago. Lord Nicholas Stern has warned that it is
necessary for the EU to increase to a 30 per cent reduction in emissions as a self-
interested investment in recouping declining shares of the green technology market
from China, Taiwan and South Korea.
37
China exhibits increasing evidence of
leapfrog growth, missing out some stages of economic development the West
'
