The Atlantic Council and Goldwyn Global Strategies hosted the workshop “Unconventional Oil And Gas Exploration, Development And Safety: A Deep Dive Into The Science, Technology And Best Practices” on December 6-7 in Brussels, Belgium which centered on best practices and smart regulation of the shale g

This report, "Energy for Water and Water for Energy," based on the May 2011 workshop’s presentations and discussions, highlights the issues, suggested solutions, and innovative programs that companies and organizations have undertaken to address the nexus problem.

With the growing realization that substantial unconventional gas resources have the potential to play a major role in supplementing conventional gas resources in many countries, it has become important to consider the prospects, challenges and regulations necessary to ensure the safe and environmentally sound development of such resources.

With headlines about unrest in the Middle East and oil prices jumping to the highest level since 2008, energy has again risen to the forefront of the public agenda. But for those of us in the national security arena, energy should never fall from our radar.

On May 2, the Atlantic Council held a conversation with Vaclav Bartuska, Special Envoy for Energy Security, Czech Republic, on the future of nuclear power and how the Japanese nuclear crisis has caused some, but not all, in Europe to reconsider their attitudes toward this source of energy.

On March 14th the Atlantic Council and the Institut Français des Relations Internationales co-organized a workshop with industry participants and policy makers from the European Commission, National and regional governments, and European think tanks to further Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on energy issues in the framework of the EU US Energy Council, which agreed last November to exchange expertise on environmental issues related to the utilization of unconventional gas resources, including shale gas, especially with a view to addressing the issue of public acceptance.

The Energy and Environment Program of the Atlantic Council, with the support and guidance of the US State Department and Department of Energy is organizing a series of workshops to update European governments and non-governmental thought leaders on the progress that is being made in resolving many of the technical, environmental, and social issues related to unconventional gas production in order to provide a realistic assessment of the challenges remaining and the necessity for additional industry specific regulations.

In the latest Energy and Environment Program issue brief titled "Central Europe and the Geopolitics of Energy," co-authors Franklin D. Kramer, John R. Lyman, and Mihaela C. Carstei explain the need for a coordinated energy security policy for Central Europe.