25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
1 Sep 2023
François Baird, an African migrant and U.S. citizen, emphasized that energy access is central to stability, development, and food security in Africa. He highlighted how the continent’s abundant resources remain underutilized, contributing to unemployment, poverty, and social unrest, as exemplified by recent coups and riots, including those in South Africa. With Africa’s population projected to grow from 1.4 billion to 1.7 billion by 2030, reliable electricity is essential for economic growth, modern agriculture, and industrial development. Baird argued that parliamentarians have a critical role in ensuring local energy resources such as coal, oil, gas, and hydropower are developed through proper private ownership, market solutions, and robust rule-of-law institutions. He stressed that denying financing for local energy projects or promoting predatory trade practices undermines rural livelihoods, increases poverty, and exacerbates food insecurity. By empowering African nations to harness their energy resources for electricity, industrial use, and modern fertilizer production, policymakers can foster economic stability, reduce hunger, and secure a prosperous future for the continent’s youthful population.
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Mr. Francois Baird argued that Africa’s greatest challenge is energy poverty, noting that 600 million Africans lack electricity and many rely on diesel generators. He stressed that limited energy access…
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Mr. Dave McMurtry, an investment fund manager focused on the lithium-ion battery supply chain, emphasized that developing a domestic Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) industry is critical to U.S. national…
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Dr. Kevin Dayaratna argues that access to affordable and reliable energy is the fundamental driver of human flourishing, economic growth, and national security. He demonstrates that as energy consumption has…
31st Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
In his remarks, Hon. Sohan Dasgupta highlights the growing national security and economic risks posed by heavy dependence on China for critical minerals. He explains that minerals such as lithium,…
25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Lucian Pugliaresi, President of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, underscored the practical and systemic challenges associated with achieving net zero emissions by 2050. He emphasized that energy forecasts, even from…
25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Ambassador Carla Sands underscored the paramount significance of energy security in safeguarding national security, fostering economic prosperity, and maintaining global stability. She critically examined prevailing Western policies that prioritize net-zero…
25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Honorable Helene Conway-Mouret underscored the paramount importance of information, intelligence, and energy security in fostering national and global resilience. She elucidated how global dependencies on foreign resources, exacerbated by short-term…
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Mr. Lucian Pugliaresi commented through slideshows about technology constraints, costs, risks, and failure modes of the energy transition. He stated that what we know about models is they’re all wrong,…
24th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Mr. François Baird, founder of the FairPlay movement, addressed the link between energy access, food security and stability for developing nations, particularly in Africa. He pointed out that according to…
24th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Ms. Diana Furchtgott-Roth stated that energy security is of vital importance to all regions. She explained that we have seen from the events with Russia and Ukraine that energy security…
23rd Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Mr. Paul N. Watkins approached energy security from the perspective of private-sector ESG pressures, asserting that the environmental pillar of ESG effectively centers on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Citing…
23rd Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Energy Security
Ambassador Carla Sands, a former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, and the current energy policy leader at the America First Policy Institute, asserted that the world…
