What Is Energy Poverty Actually Like? ARC Off-Stage

Published 2024-06-21
2.7 billion people use biomass to cook in their homes, due to a lack of cleaner cooking fuels. As a result, 3 million people die every year due to exposure to indoor smoke. That is the same number of people that died due to COVID-19 in 2021 - every single year.

When it comes to energy poverty, it seems we may need to reassess our priorities.

If we are committed to recognising every individual's human dignity, we need to allow all people around the world to build the safe, clean, and abundant energy sources that we take for granted in the West. And together, across all continents, we can continue to innovate to make our energy even cleaner, smarter, cheaper, and more abundant than ever before.

Join Magatte Wade, Scott Tinker, Robert Bryce, and Chris Wright as they discuss energy poverty, its effects, and the path forward to a better story for the developing world.


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GO DEEPER:

- Robert Bryce’s paper for ARC Research - ‘Powering the Unplugged: Overcoming the Barriers to Electrification in the Developing World’ - www.arcforum.com/energy-and-environment/powering-t…

- Magatte Wade’s paper for ARC Research – ‘The African Climate Paradox’ - www.arcforum.com/energy-and-environment/the-africa…


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Robert Bryce is an author, journalist, and filmmaker focused on energy and innovation. He has authored six books, including "A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations," exploring the impact of energy on global development.

Scott Tinker is a geologist and energy expert dedicated to addressing societal challenges in energy, the environment, and the economy. He serves as Director Emeritus of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin and co-produced the award-winning documentaries "Switch" and "Switch On." Dr Tinker also founded the nonprofit Switch Energy Alliance.

Magatte Wade is an entrepreneur and advocate for African dignity and prosperity. She serves as the Director for The Centre for African Prosperity of Atlas Network. Throughout her career, she has created retail brands inspired by diverse African traditions, most recently SkinIsSkin.com. Her first book, The Heart of a Cheetah, was published in 2023.

Chris Wright is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, where he combines his passion for technology and entrepreneurial spirit to advance human liberty through energy innovation. His mission is to improve lives by integrating technology with energy solutions.


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ARC, the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, is a global community with a vision of a world where every citizen can prosper, contribute, and flourish.


Join us in shaping this vision, as we draw on the best of our inheritance to build hope-filled future. Let's seek solutions to the problems we face that tap into humanity's highest virtues and remarkable capacity for innovation and ingenuity.


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00:00 Introduction: The Global Challenge of Energy Poverty
00:30 A Day Without Power: Living in Energy Poverty
05:00 The Hidden Killer: Indoor Air Pollution and Health Impacts
09:00 Reframing the Narrative: The Real Trade-Offs with Energy and Environment
11:20 Reasons for Hope: Entrepreneurship and a Humanistic Approach
14:20 Conclusion: The Conversation is Changing

All Comments (14)
  • @jomay3063
    What struck me was that during that discussion we could actually see the lady and look her in the eye. She was erudite and smart and obviously both passionate and, a least in a guarded way, optimistic. What I mean is that 'western' (wealthy) policy experts set targets and score political points, often for commercial gain, without seeing the genuine hardships that people in under-developed countries experience every day. Maybe they should hold an energy / climate conference in the heart of a land of where the real problems lie. Seeing people carted off to hospital on stretchers might make them set rather different targets.
  • Better than calling it a transition, it could be addition, diversification, inclusion. Rich countries are hypocritical enough to transfer "dirty" jobs to the third world, forgetting that atmosphere and water are interconnected. One day this account will return, in one form or another.
  • I know how to build Stan Meyer's LENR reactor, the EPG, which powered his water-powered car, generating the needed electricity to run the electrolysis for the on-demand hydrogen system. There are existing patents in both USA & Canada for the EPG device. They have expired.
  • The great tragedy of energy shortage is a lack of a greater vision. As long as we think of social justice in terms of wealth disparity and victimization we cannot solve problems. One source of energy ignored and unexploited is 2 to 4 miles below the surface of any point on earth. Above sits water in oceans an average of two miles deep. Imagine if we drilled wells like oil wells only the purpose is to boil ocean water to drive steam turbines and produce electricity. Simultaneously we would produce fresh water. I am researching this possibility, it mostly only suffers technological ignorance to achieve. If ARC is to help solve problems which undermine quality of life, this is the kind of innovative thinking it will take. We must concede the benefit of investers making money from their innovations. The goal is to make poor people wealthy, not equalize poverty.
  • The technology is very safe - despite the use of electronuclear transmutations within the EPG powerplant for Meyer's water-powered car, there are no neutrons produced- these are cold nuclear processes. The hydrogen for the water-powered car is generated on-demand, minimizing the risks of using hydrogen, similar to a fuel cell.
  • 2:41 don’t the girls have to miss school to walk to the water source to bring it home first? Or is that just certain areas?
  • @0_3_6_9_0
    Energy + Water + Agroforestry + Non plastics.
  • We know how to end energy poverty today, we have the technology, nothing needs to be invented but it does have to be commercialized. This final stage of commercialization is happening all on its own and will be available in 10-15 years, but It could be available in 2 years if we choose to, but we don't. TerraPower, Terrestrial Energy, Moltex, Thorcon, DualFuel, Seaborg, Copenhagen Atomics, Exodys Energy and another half dozen that don't come to mind are all competing to be first to market. All are developing some version of generation IV nuclear. Low-pressure/high-temperature nuclear fission and all it takes is for one of them to be successful to change the world.
  • @bitnev
    Oh, this interviewer really sounds like he is running Warlockracy.
  • I know it seems simple but why can’t we supply hoods and flues to people that burn fuel in the home That would save lives. at very low cost. The flue could be designed to give out heat.
  • @KN0852
    How do most of you guys still make profit, even with the downturn of the economy and ever increasing life standards
  • @AT-os6nb
    20 min to get a fire going? Maybe if burning wet dung!