In a report called Our High-Energy Planet, co-authored by Senior Sustainability Scientists Daniel Sarewitz and Netra Chhetri, scholars say that giving the poor access to reliable modern energy offers a promising route to addressing global challenges like climate change. Given the pivotal relationship between abundant energy access and human development, climate change must be addressed within the context of poor nations gaining access to modern energy.

Emphasizing that innovation is the key to reducing emissions while expanding energy access, the report points out that power sectors are growing at breakneck speeds in emerging nations and that their development creates tremendous opportunities. The report is the first of the Climate Pragmatism project, led by Arizona State University’s Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes in partnership with The Breakthrough Institute.