Geography and Politics

When resources run short, their demand rises and debates about their use break out. Those who control access have power over everyone who is in need of resources. The threat of military conflicts rises, when the need for essential resources e.g. for energy recovery cannot be covered. At this stage the industrialised countries already depend on resource supplier countries, situated in unstable world regions, that are very fragile. How can we prevent confrontations and ensure the availability of energy? Are there any possibilities to reduce the dependence on other countries?
The negative impacts of shortage of raw materials and unbalanced resource distribution can be witnessed first in the poorest regions of the world. The population of threshold and third-world countries already has to severely restrain its energy consumption, while the industrialized part of the world wastes energy in every regard. In the kyoto protocol a transfer of technologies was agreed on, which could help poor countries to improve their energy security and to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. That way, third-world and threshold countries could contribute to the reduction of emissions. Is a technology transfer for free the right way? Should research in these countries be encouraged more? How can industrialized countries reduce their energy consumption? What are your ideas? Share your thoughts!