ABSTRACT
Reliable energy supplies are crucial for the military, political and economic survival of states, and as a result it is widely agreed that energy is a security issue. Energy security studies is a multidisciplinary field, spanning not just International Relations (IR) but also environmental studies, energy technology studies, energy policy, energy engineering, energy law and governance, planning and management. In IR, however, energy security became a serious focus of study with the oil crises of the 1970s and the concept took on a specific meaning as a result. China is now the world's largest energy consumer and pays increasing attention to energy security. While the traditional energy security debate reifies the discipline's traditional categories of analysis and prioritisation of state over international and security over environment, the changing debate and reality poses important challenges to IR. Energy politics is central to the future of IR and environmental politics.
