Book review: A brave new energy world ahead, but few answers

Daniel Yergin’s new book offers a short but insightful history of key developments in the world of energy, but is less illuminating on the sector’s future prospects

The world faces more uncertainties than certainties in the new era of energy transition, according to one of the world’s leading energy authorities. Frustratingly, that premise appears to militate against bold prognostication. The New Map: Energy, Climate, And The Clash Of Nations is a misleading title for Daniel Yergin’s lengthy new work, given that a new map might imply fresh borders have been drawn. As the author is at pains to stress throughout, this is far from the case. And that caution is perhaps where an otherwise insightful tome slightly disappoints. That the borders between shifting fundamentals around future energy demand, environmental issues and geopolitics are fluid offers sign