There is a broad agreement in the international academic community as well as among the major political leaders in the world that burning fossil fuels is a major cause for global warming. This article focuses, first, on the linkage between energy security and climate change; second, on the responsibilities of national governments on the one hand and the responsibilities of the international community on the other hand; and third, on the importance of the role of leaders in today’s globalising world, especially with respect to energy security and climate change. The hypothesis of this article is that a globalising world requires global governance. To create global governance mechanisms, we need leadership. Leadership, however, requires not only leaders but also followers, as well as an understanding of the challenges to and the opportunities for the world we are living in.
