Part 8/13:
Beyond technological challenges, Hansen highlights the geopolitical dimensions of energy policy. Countries like Russia and Iran depend heavily on oil exports to fund their military ambitions. When the United States increased domestic fossil fuel production during the Trump administration, global oil prices fell, damaging these nations’ economies and curbing their geopolitical influence.
Conversely, the Biden administration’s green pivot aimed to regulate and reduce emissions but was met with resistance as energy prices fluctuated. The U.S. resumed oil production, leading to increased exports of liquefied natural gas and coal, thereby strengthening allies and weakening adversaries such as Iran and Russia.