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World divided on Russia's energy supply reliability: survey
AFP
LONDON
Petroleumworld.com 07 13 06
Russia has put energy security at the top of the agenda for this weekend's Group of Eight (G8) summit, but world opinion is split about whether Moscow is a reliable supplier, a survey suggested Thursday.
The poll of 19,579 people in 19 countries by Globescan for the BBC World Service found that on average, 45 percent of respondents put faith in Russia's ability to supply energy, with the same amount expressing a lack of trust.
The latest G8 meeting of industrialised nations in Saint Petersburg comes amid increased concerns about energy, partly due to record oil prices but also due to Russia's policy and over-reliance on its resources, especially in Europe.
In January, Russia briefly cut off supplies to Ukraine due to a price disagreement, leading to a disruption in supplies to some European countries.
The European Union is especially hungry for supplies of "greener" natural gas, of which Russia is the world's biggest producer.
But Moscow -- also the world's second-biggest oil producer after Saudi Arabia -- is balking at the idea of opening its domestic market, dominated by state-controlled Gazprom, to foreign investment.
Other key findings in the survey included:
-- 81 percent are concerned about the environmental impact of the way energy is produced and used.
-- 77 percent believe energy shortages and rising prices will destabilise the world economy.
-- 73 percent worry competition for energy will lead to greater conflict and war between nations.
Strong support for government tax incentives for developing renewable energy supplies emerged -- 80 percent were in favour -- while 67 percent want increasing fuel efficiency standards for cars.
Support for more nuclear power -- a hot topic in Britain after the government on Tuesday said it favoured new nuclear build to meet the country's future energy needs -- was more muted, with only 49 percent favouring it to reduce reliance on oil and coal.
Steven Kull, director of the US-based Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) which was also involved in the study, said: "The poll shows an extraordinary level of agreement that the way the world is producing and using energy is not viable.
"People around the world will be looking to the G8 leaders to address this issue and show a readiness to support significant new steps."
Countries surveyed were: Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and the United States.
The margin of error per country ranges from 2.5 percent to 4 percent.
AFP 12 2201 GMT 07 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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