Markets Can Solve the Global Energy and Climate Challenge, If We Let Them
Setup
Billions of people around the world do not have access to inexpensive and reliable energy that is critical for economic growth. At the same time, the world’s current energy choices lead to pollution that is shortening lives and causing climate change. Finding a way to balance the need for energy with its environmental consequences defines the global energy and climate challenge, perhaps the greatest challenge the world faces today. Leveraging insights from on-the-ground research conducted in the United States, India, China, and other parts of the world, Michael Greenstone will explore in vivid detail the true costs of the world’s energy choices and identify surprising solutions that rely on fixing the economics of energy markets. The choice to go with these solutions is not always easy, but the stakes could hardly be higher.
- 2017 Festival
- Environment
- Economy
Explore More
Environment
While the workforce continues to evolve in response to economic shifts and technological advancements, one thing is certain — the traditional blueprints for education and the...
Entrepreneurs view the world differently. Where others see challenges, they see opportunities. They’re a group of self-starters and strivers with the courage to take big risks...
Advances in medicine and healthy living mean that more and more people will live to be 100. But just because their bodies can last doesn’t mean their bank accounts will keep u...
Each year brings more destructive natural disasters and growing evidence of the challenging future we face if we don’t address climate change. But the biggest cause of climate...
If we do absolutely nothing to mitigate climate change, scientists estimate the toll could be $38 trillion a year in damages. Industrialized countries like the United States,...
The United States spends $4.3 trillion—almost one fifth of the nation’s GDP—on health care. As the scale of the medical enterprise expands, venture capitalists are pursuing th...
The recognition that all things are connected is at once a scientific principle and a philosophical touchstone. Humans, animals, and the environment are intertwined in complex...
In a time of growing wealth disparity and changing societal values, can capitalism adapt? How is the economy being transformed by investments in infrastructure, AI, energy, an...
A couple of degrees makes a world of difference — megafires, rising seas, failing infrastructure, and food systems require our immediate attention. Demands on dwindling natura...
Women are crucial to the climate movement, but their voices are often underrepresented and their work goes under-supported. Meet just a few of the women from this year’s Aspen...
Women are twice as likely to invest in female-led businesses. Explore the ways women approach wealth building and investment, and how they create opportunities to build financ...
In a time of growing wealth disparity and evolving societal values, can capitalism adapt to sustain the American Dream?
Join Jim Farley as he explores how drivers' needs and priorities are guiding the future of vehicle technology and reshaping our expectations of cars and trucks.
Every transition comes with tradeoffs, and even clean energy carries negative consequences. As they mine for critical minerals or build solar arrays on sensitive land, clean e...
With ESG caught in the political culture wars, business executives must decide to speak up or stay quiet about climate, diversity and democracy. What do employees and citizens...
Heat is now the top weather-related cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. An environmental journalist and two city ch...
Africa is a rising giant. By 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African, and by 2060, Africa will have the largest labor force in the world. A former Nigerian pres...
Peter Thiel has made no secret of his feelings about economic and cultural issues. Hear him discuss his vision for the future, his bets on AI and digital currencies, his thoug...
It sounds like sci-fi: Scientists are beaming solar energy from space, subbing seaweed for plastic and brightening clouds to reflect sunlight to lower temperatures in a warmin...
