Progress in China’s shale gas exploration has been non-existent, and in the past three years approximately 4.8 million Chinese have died from air pollution from burning coal. Partnerships with large U.S. oil and gas companies, demonstration projects, and the use of auctions, may not be the answer however; the U.S.’s own shale gas revolution showed that a mass of small, innovative, new companies were its catalyst.

While China’s National Energy Administration recently revised its fuel-switching agenda, Michal Meidan points out that this policy alteration is not a sign that the government’s commitment to shale is wavering. Instead, the adoption of a more realistic target provides more stability for the industry and bolsters the future of natural gas in China.

Awaiting confirmation to head the Energy Department, Ernest J. Moniz must balance the desire to develop and extract new sources of energy with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and minimize environmental damage. Elizabeth Muller explains the new energy secretary will have the duty of guiding emerging economies like China through the crucial switch from coal to natural gas.

Energy has long been both the bane and the favored instrument in the foreign policy of governments. Yet, for the US, fortunes are changing and the goal of former President Nixon’s Project Independence looks soon to be realized.

Ian Bremmer and David Grodon argue that while the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the US shale revolution have broad implications for China, they are President Obama’s most important foreign policy tools and are not meant to contain China.

The development of shale gas technology is expected to rapidly change the global energy landscape, world economy and geopolitics, as we know it. As the United States prepares to become a major exporter of natural gas by 2020, cooperation and mutual trust are vital to ensure stability in the Middle East and beyond.

The shale gas revolution is unfolding, and is expected to have a profound impact on global geopolitics in the coming years, writes Feng Zhaokui.