Energy and Environmental Security

Abstract

Energy and environmental security are some of the most important issues on the US national security agenda. Some scholars have argued that security starts with the environment. The chapter begins focusing on some of the recent trends in energy consumption, particularly oil and natural gas. The chapter explores hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which is a hotly debated method for extracting natural gas. This section also examines the Obama administration’s energy security policy. Next, the chapter focuses on major trends in pollution, which has impacted climate change. This work highlights the Obama administrations responses to climate change, focusing on the major initiatives designed to combat global warming. The chapter then analyzes the arguments of the major critics of climate change, focusing on some of the leading voices in the Republican Party.