Aspen Institute
Aspen, CO
Jul 4th, 2007
[A video version of this presentation is available at Fora.tv]

Economic development, environmental health and global stability all hinge on wise management of global energy resources. Discussing the problems of energy poverty, David Goldwyn and David Dollar paint a positive picture on what developing countries and governments in the west can do to improve the state of energy use abroad and at home. Opinions are strong as the speakers face questions from the audience.

Goldwyn discusses the problems that energy poverty creates in developing countries, as well as some of the potential road blocks faced in improving the situation. He believes the three causes of continual failures in African economies are poor investment, knowledge and governance. He then looks to the actions that international cooperation should support. He suggests that a major goal of the US should be the end of energy poverty.

Dollar looks at the impact subsidized pricing of petroleum has in limiting economic development. With emerging economies on the cusp of building new structures and infrastructure, developed and developing countries will need to enforce their emissions standards if carbon emissions are to be curbed. Finally, the speakers face challenging questions from the audience on market intervention, the impact on rural communities, and a final stumper from a student.