The Rise of Asia: Feeling the Weight of the East

By:
Kartikeya Singh
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Currently the whole world is abuzz with the talk of rapid development in India and China. But with the globe already under much ecological stress from already developed nations, the question is, will the world be able to handle two billion more people demanding a level of consumption equal to that of the West? Of course to achieve that standard of consumption, both economies will rely heavily on cheap and readily available sources of energy. This increased demand placed by both nations on the physically finite resources for energy, is expected to change the geopolitical map of the world as the two countries try to secure their energy needs for their booming economies. Another important question is whether they will chose to cooperate or compete in their quest to satisfy their thirst for commodities. It can be assumed that the inelasticity of demand for some of these energy resources and other commodities will cause prices to rise in the short term, but hope lies in the scarcity generated in both countries driven by the size of their populations. Should they choose, they could very well lead the world in becoming energy and resource efficient societies.


Keywords: Energy, Geopolitics, Resource Economics
Stream: Economic Sustainability
Presentation Type: 30 minute Paper Presentation in English
Paper: Rise of Asia, The

Kartikeya Singh

Student, Ecology & Sustainable Development, Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina, USA

I have field experience in wildlife management/community development in Kenya and have conducted ecological research in South Africa. Also, I have studied marine pollution and marine ecology in Belize. To study applications of phyto-remediation technology in cleaning up polluted soils/waters, I did field work in Puerto Rico with nickel hyper-accumulating plants. Also, I’ve proposed ways for the Greenville Transit Authority (South Carolina) to reevaluate the routes for their public bus transport system using GIS. My interests in geopolitics and environment have lead me to do research comparing India and China with regards to their population planning policies, rural energy options, and general economic growth as it pertains to resource demand. My latest work examines the “true cost” of water and the status of metering water use in Indian cities. The research tries to evaluate if metering is possible in India. I have also gained personal insight during this experience as to the impacts of development boom in India.

Ref: S07P0164