Description:

Ernest J. Moniz, CEO, Energy Futures Initiative; Cecil and Ida Green Prof. of Physics and Eng. Emeritus, MIT; former US Secretary of Energy. In conversation with Ivo H. Daalder, President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

From shale gas to solar power, the US government has historically invested in the kinds of high-risk, high-reward energy projects that the private sector is loath to touch. Yet as the current administration’s recent attempts to eliminate the Department of Energy’s cutting-edge research arm ARPA-E demonstrate, this kind of investment is always precarious. The Trump Administration has proposed cutting R&D investment across the board at a time when countries like China and India double down on investment in clean energy and renewables. How can the United States maintain its global leadership position on energy innovation in the current political environment?