Life & Wisdom Quote by Daniel Yergin

"But that's not enough: To maintain energy security, one needs a supply system that provides a buffer against shocks. It needs large, flexible markets. And it's important to acknowledge the fact that the entire energy supply chain needs to be protected"

Daniel Yergin, Author

About this Quote

Energy security, in Yergin's framing, isn’t a flag to wave; it’s an engineering problem with political consequences. The line begins by puncturing the comforting fantasy that “having resources” is the same as being secure. “But that’s not enough” is a quiet rebuke to slogans about energy independence, or the idea that a new pipeline, a domestic shale boom, or a strategic reserve automatically inoculates a country against chaos. Yergin is arguing for resilience, not bragging rights.

The key word is “buffer.” It implies inevitability: shocks will come. Wars, embargoes, cyberattacks, accidents, extreme weather, price spikes, shipping bottlenecks. The subtext is that energy is less a commodity than a nervous system; when it seizes, everything downstream does too - inflation, industrial output, elections. His emphasis on “large, flexible markets” signals a preference for liquidity and diversification over tight control. Big markets can reroute supply, absorb disruption, and reveal price signals quickly. They also distribute risk across more actors, which is the unglamorous backbone of stability.

Then the quote swerves from economics to security: “the entire energy supply chain needs to be protected.” That’s post-9/11, post-Ukraine, post-colonial realism: the vulnerability isn’t just oil fields or gas wells, but ports, refineries, pipelines, grids, data systems, and shipping lanes. Yergin’s intent is to widen the frame until policymakers stop treating energy as a single chokepoint and start treating it as an interlocking system - one where resilience is built, not declared.

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Topic	Vision & Strategy
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About the Author

Daniel Yergin (born February 6, 1947) is a Author from USA.

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