Since Nixon’s EPA was established, the USA has been a leader in pollution control at the regional level.  While the USA is only 4-5 percent (350 million) of the global population of over 6 billion, North America has worked hard in the last 50 years to curb pollution with such large scale innovations such as converters on exhausts to nuclear energy. Anyone can see in Los Angeles, Houston,  or New York that there is less smog today than 30 years ago.

With the economic booms in China, India and Arabia, theses other regions of the world are growing quickly and must provide electricity, food, water and other basic necessities to billions of people.

The good news is that energy is more abundant than ever. With new seismic technology, computer analysis and stronger drilling equipment, the ROI return on investment for exploration is safer and more likely to yield oil or gas than 30 years ago.  Thus, there is more science to drilling and we can go deeper and extract more which is good for the global consumer.

As with T Boone Pickens whom I met years ago in DC, and many other leaders in energy, the USA and other leading countries such as Saudi Arabia can be more efficient and effective in oil exploration while other companies find ways to capture energy from solar, wind, and hydro at a cost effective level.  This year, we will be offering sustainability project management courses in Arabia and most everyone in the O&G business seems to want to learn more about efficiencies.

Overall, futurists such as Peter Diamandis are saying that there will be safe-disposable reactors to provide energy in a matter of years. Thus, energy in the most remote parts of the world may be available soon.

The most amazing thing about technology is that it provides viable substitutes to products and services that many economists deem scarce and irreplaceable.   With that being said, some things get cheaper and more available to the masses every day even with an ever expanding population.

As an American, I want the best for all people in other countries. Growing up in a small town and seeing the changes over the last 40 years with energy is amazing.  I personally believe that the economies of the rest of the world have the most exciting abundant opportunities in the areas of health care, education, and food supply particularly with the availability of energy.