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(updated 1st April 2004)
by
Barry K. Worthington
(Executive Director of USEA)
September 11,
2001 will be remembered forever as the day on which America's many
relationships with other nations changed dramatically. One of those
relationships is international energy trade and development.
Globalization
continues to play a key role in America's reliance on energy to fuel its
post-industrial economy. The U.S. imports well over half the petroleum
and petroleum products it uses, as well as an increasing share of its
natural gas. On the export side, U.S. firms are among the world's
largest developers of power plants and energy resources and
infrastructure.
The attacked
on the World Trade Center and Pentagon underscored more than just
America's vulnerability to terrorism. They also made clear that poverty
creates social conditions that provide fertile grounds for inciting
terrorism. Accordingly, it is imperative and urgent that the U.S. and
its allies confront energy energy poverty in a holistic manner rather
than piecemeal fashion.
Poverty
results from inadequate economic development which in turn is affected
by the unavailability of affordable energy. It's not coincidental that
the number of people worldwide living on less than $1.00 a day is about
the same as the number lacking access to commercial energy" two billion.
When 40% of the world's population is doomed to a life of hopelessness
and desperate poverty, the consequences are clear: frustration, unrest
and instability.
The Solution:
More Energy Trade and Development in Socio-Economic Activities
Open trade
and linking trade and development issues are most useful weapon to fight
poverty and energy poverty. The United States Energy Association (USEA)
report entitles, "Toward An International Energy Trade & Development
Strategy" deliberated five tactical issues that must be addressed to
support such a campaign. They are:
1. An overall
international energy trade framework;
2. North
American energy trade;
3. Energy
trade sanction;
4. Energy as
an economic driver of international development; and
5.
International energy trade promotion.
Promoting
international trade in energy and energy services not only attacked
energy poverty in developing countries, it also provides jobs in the
U.S. Both the war on terrorism and the need to stimulate the U.S.
economy are facilitated by this integrated, competition-based approach.
USEA has laid
out 31 recommendations to that end. They can be found in the report,
"Towards An International Trade & Development Strategy." Full text is
available on USEA website, www.usea.org,
or by calling (202)312-1230.
Barry K.
Worthington is executive director of USEA.
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