Natural gas will become the preeminent fuel of the 21st century, according to widespread expectation. Indeed, reserves of gas already stand at 87 percent of oil reserves in terms of energy content.

If this shift happens, the geopolitical consequences would be momentous, for it would take power away from OPEC and shift it at least partly toward Russia, which, as the map shows, has more gas reserves than any other country. The U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, a relatively minor producer of natural gas, would diminish, perhaps to be replaced by new ties with Iran and Qatar, the second and third leading producers of gas.

This article was originally published with the title Energy Geopolitics.

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