We are in the midst of a transition from a fossil fuel-dominated energy regime to a more sustainable lower-carbon one in which natural gas is a bridge fuel. Since the 1970s oil crises, however, the forecasts for gas and coal have changed three times. Gas is currently achieving a major position in the world's energy mix but under challenging geopolitical forces; for this reason, different countries will follow different paths for adopting gas. This article uses a ternary diagram to shows that the fossil fuel consumption paths of the powers have greatly diverged over time. The close relationship between world hegemony and the dominant energy source (coal and then oil) in the past will be replaced by a multi-energy transition in which different countries choose different energy regimes in a multipolar international system. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.