Global Changes and Geopolitics of Natural Resources

Abstract

In the last five millennia, the global climate system has been relatively stable. But, when climate changes significantly, or the environmental conditions degrade to the point in which necessary resources are not available, the tensions experienced by societies may lead them to a breaking point. Europe and the rest of the World are in a period of transition: a global financial crisis, a global energy crisis, a global food crisis, new centres of power and leadership emerging outside of Europe. In this context, Global Change is a process that is producing increasing pressures on society, making sustainability the biggest challenge for the society of the twenty-first century.