China, the West, and the Alternative Energy Innovation Challenge

Date

June 27, 2014, 12:00 AM EDT
Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC
Lee G. Branstetter (PIIE), M. Granger Morgan (Carnegie Mellon University) and Gilbert E. Metcalf (Tufts University)

Event Summary

To meet the global challenge of a changing climate, the international community needs both effective promotion of alternative energy innovation and an open trade regime that allows unfettered access to the most cost effective alternative energy solutions from anywhere. Many nations, however, have encountered setbacks in their efforts to promote alternative energy innovation. Simultaneously, serious international trade disputes have arisen in this domain, many involving China, which has emerged as a major producer and exporter of solar and wind power hardware. Can the international community find a more cooperative way forward, as it seeks to meet the challenge of climate change?

On June 27, 2014, the Peterson Institute for International Economics convened a panel of leading experts to discuss the technological progress that has been made and the technical challenges that still limit the role of alternative energy in contemporary economies; recent policy shifts in China, Europe, and the United States that have shaped the pace and trajectory of inventive effort; and the impact of current trade disputes on the diffusion of alternative energy technologies.

Panelists

Lee Branstetter
Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute, and former Senior Economist for International Trade and Investment at the Council of Economic Advisers.

M. Granger Morgan
University and Lord Chair Professor of Engineering and Director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University

Gilbert E. Metcalf
Professor of Economics at Tufts University and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment and Energy in the US Department of the Treasury

Event Materials

Presentations: Lee G. Branstetter [pdf] | M. Granger Morgan [pdf] | Gilbert E. Metcalf [pdf]

Video