The Impact of Current Global Crisis on U.S. National Security, Energy Policy, and Your Family’s Freedom & Finances

“The Impact of Current Global Crisis on U.S. National Security, Energy Policy, and Your Family’s Freedom & Finances”

Featuring

James Carafano

Vice President for National Security and Foreign Policy, The Heritage Foundation

Lakshman Guruswamy, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, International Environmental Law, CU Boulder

(Moderated by Philip Wegman — White House Reporter for Real Clear Politics and Tony Blankley Senior Fellow at the Steamboat Institute)

View Professor Guruswamy’s presentation slides HERE. Return to the Energy and Climate Summit main page HERE.

A hostile Russia has made dependence on foreign energy and the resulting policy a dominant concern for the United States and the West. Over the years, Europe has traded away energy independence for a currently unobtainable dream of renewable energy. Coupled with burdensome energy costs, the loss of energy independence reveals a severe security risk posed by short-sighted energy policy. Russia and China are dramatically increasing their coal and fossil fuel energy sources to power their growing economies, fueling their aggression and authoritarian self-interest. While these authoritarian regimes base their energy policy on national self-interest, the debate in the U.S. is dominated by carbon emissions and political motivation. If this trend continues, the United States and its Western allies will face considerable difficulty navigating the growth of countries hostile to freedom and liberty. KEY POINTS

• Without energy, a civilization perishes.
• The U.S. climate agenda undermines an agenda focused on reliable and abundant energy.
• Political agendas, rather than data, dominate current climate and energy policy.

“The poorest people in the world are dying and need cheap, reliable energy.” -Lakshman Guruswamy