Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

Carbon capture and the Allam Cycle: The future of electricity or a carbon pipe(line) dream?

By David Yellen

The race to net-zero emissions is an uphill one. Despite the effects of climate change mounting and time running out, global energy demand is set to grow 50 percent by 2050. One solution to decarbonizing the global energy system while also meeting rising natural gas demand is carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). However, CCUS has historically been too expensive to be viable, and deployment remains far off track. Enter the Allam Cycle: a novel natural gas power plant design that can theoretically capture 100 percent of emissions while being cost- and efficiency-competitive with advanced natural gas plants.

Event recap | Mobilizing industry to encourage multi-sector solutions to global concerns

By Corina LJ DuBois

On May 21, 2020, Daryl Haegley, Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, Melissa Flagg, Lee McKnight, Mary Collins, Lin Wells, and Divya Chander shared their perspectives in a live video discussion titled "Mobilizing industry to encourage multi-sector solutions to address emergent global concerns" and moderated by David Bray, Director of the Atlantic Council's GeoTech Center. The discussion focused on new ways of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and application of multi-sector industry solutions to current and potential future pandemics.

Coronavirus emergency measures should persuade Ukraine, Romania, and Turkey to legitimize energy reform, not reverse it

By Dr. Aura Sabadus

For years, Eastern European governments and Turkey have bought into a global trend, arguing that long-term strategies in the energy sector should revolve around market deregulation. In light of the coronavirus outbreak and the emergency measures implemented worldwide to contain it, the energy industry may now face an increase in interventionist policies such as price controls and consolidation of state-owned enterprises as governments push to mitigate the shockwaves of expected consumer impacts. Such measures would be detrimental to economies, and there are compelling arguments that suggest governments should remain committed to their initial market goals.

We can strengthen the global food system: Here is how

By David Bray

The world recently has experienced large-scale collapse of bread-basket food sources, multiple areas of humanitarian crises, price spikes causing rapid destabilization of national governments, and, with the COVID-19 pandemic, global food supply chain disruptions and food shortages throughout the world.

Cyber crises need strong collaboration: Reflections from Cyber 9/12

By Alexis Montouris Ciambotti, Manuel Hepfer, Matthew Rogers, and Yashovardhan Sharma.

Cyber 9/12 sharpened our ability to analyze an evolving situation and identify its key issues, adapt to unexpected changes, and recommend effective responses to manage the crisis.

State of the Order: Assessing April 2020

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Increasing mutual dependence in Sino-Gulf relations is changing the strategic landscape

By Christian Le Miere

The conventional wisdom that the United States is the only viable partner for Gulf states is now being challenged by a new reality: the main importer of Gulf oil is now China. At the same time, China’s strategic goals increasingly encompass stability in the Middle East, while a more activist foreign policy under Xi Jinping ensures greater involvement in the security, as well as economic, discourse in the region.

IGAD executive secretary lays out priorities amid coronavirus crisis

By Africa Center

On Monday, May 11, the Africa Center hosted a virtual roundtable with His Excellency Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The discussion focused on IGAD's response to East Africa's evolving challenges.

We can get through this COVID-19 pandemic together: Here is how

By David Bray

Here at the Atlantic Council, we recognize that working to benefit people, prosperity, and peace for all globally requires committed public servants. A year ago in 2019, Dr. Greg Treverton and Dr. Molly Jahn, as well as (the would be future GeoTech Center Director) Dr. David Bray, and other authors released the result of a year-long study that analyzed the impact of numerous long-term trends in the United States' government workforce over a period of two decades.

The COVID-19 crisis and US and EU emissions in the new decade: Opportunities for a clean energy recovery

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sudden decline in global electricity demand of up to 20-25 percent in some countries, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects global electricity demand for 2020 will fall by 5-10 percent, contributing to an 8 percent overall drop in energy sector CO2 emissions. This piece updates evaluates the performance of the US and EU power sectors in 2019 within the context of the coronavirus pandemic.