On a planet where more than 3 billion people are living in energy poverty, America’s CO2 emissions are fading in importance
China holds a near-monopoly on the metals, minerals, and magnets needed for alt-energy technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, and EVs. Rather than play in China’s sandbox, the U.S. should commit to rapid development and exploitation of Africa’s vast natural gas resources to help fuel that continent’s electrification efforts. It can do so by instructing entities like the Export-Import Bank to make loans for gas development projects and by pressuring the World Bank to do the same. The U.S. should also accelerate the development and approval of a new fleet of smaller, safer, cheaper, nuclear reactors that can be exported to energy-poor countries around the world.
