The CGD Podcast – Energy Access in the 21st Century: Todd Moss Testifies

Date: March 10, 2014
Host: Lawrence MacDonald (A), Center for Global Development
Guest/Testimony: Todd Moss (B), Chief Operating Officer and Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development

Episode Overview

In this special episode, host Lawrence MacDonald presents the testimony of Todd Moss before the US House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power. Moss discusses the critical issue of energy access in Africa, the role of the United States in supporting electrification efforts, and the complex trade-offs between climate policy and poverty alleviation. Moss urges practical and balanced solutions, emphasizing the need for US leadership without imposing unrealistic energy transitions on the world’s poorest nations.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Magnitude and Impact of Energy Poverty

[02:12–03:30]

• Scale of the Problem: Over 1 billion people worldwide lack electricity. In Africa alone, 600 million people—nearly twice the US population—live without power.
• Energy Inequality: Moss provides a personal anecdote:
  “My new fridge uses five times more power per year than the average person in Tanzania or Liberia.” (B at 02:48)
• Health Impacts: Reliance on wood and charcoal for cooking causes indoor air pollution, leading to 3.5 million premature deaths annually—more than AIDS and malaria combined.
• Economic Consequences: The lack of affordable, reliable electricity is highlighted as the top constraint on business growth in Africa, according to World Bank data.

2. The US Role in Expanding Energy Access Abroad

[03:32–05:10]

• Leadership Opportunity: Other countries (European, China) are scaling their commitments; Moss urges the US to match these efforts, drawing parallels to historical domestic expansion of electricity.
• Power Africa Initiative: President Obama’s program to double African energy access is “very promising,” but bureaucracy limits its effectiveness.
• Key Agency Hindered: OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation), the best-positioned US agency, needs more authority and flexibility, not just funding.
• Legislative Momentum: The Electrify Africa Act would empower OPIC and ensure longevity of current initiatives.

3. Contradictory US and Global Policies

[05:11–06:09]

• Policy Restrictions: While pushing for expanded energy access, the US is simultaneously restricting financing for natural gas and hydropower.
• Local Resource Utilization: Many African countries, like Ghana, want to harness newfound natural gas for electricity, but face opposition from climate advocates. Moss points out:
  “In the United States we have...more than 3,400 fossil fuel plants. Ghana has two.” (B at 06:03)
• Balancing Growth and Sustainability: Moss stresses the need for realism:
  “We cannot wish away these trade offs of our energy policy choices.” (B at 06:14)

4. Pragmatic Solutions and Necessary Trade-Offs

[06:10–07:05]

• Beyond Renewables: Clean tech should be supported, but “the scale of the problem is so great that those approaches will simply not be enough.”
• Urban and Rural Realities: Many without power are in cities; extending the grid, often using locally available resources, is essential.
  “Even in rural areas in Africa, people are not as spread out as some people imagine… 75% of the population lives within a mile of an existing transmission line.” (B at 06:28)
• Limits of Solar Solutions: While solar lamps are helpful, consumers want more than “a single light bulb and a cell phone charger.” No country would accept such minimalism in place of modern energy systems.

5. Cost-Effectiveness and Equity

[07:06–07:40]

• Flexible Investment: Moss and his colleague estimate that permitting OPIC investment in natural gas projects could deliver access to “60 million more people for the exact same money over a renewables only strategy.”
• Policy Recommendation:
  “At the very least, we should make an exception to any public financing restrictions for the poorest countries with the least emissions.” (B at 07:22)

Memorable Quotes

• Todd Moss on Fairness and Realism:
  “No one would openly argue that we should fight climate change on the back of the world’s poor. But we must be very careful not to burden the poorest nations with romantic notions of an energy future that does not yet exist.” (B at 07:48)

• Host’s Reflection:
  “I find that hard to argue with, despite the fact that I'm a climate hawk.” (A at 00:44)

• On US Policy Choices:
  “If an all of the above approach is good enough for the United States, how can we in good conscience stand in the way of the world's poorest countries using locally available energy sources to provide electricity for their own people.” (B at 08:15)

Important Timestamps

• [00:17–01:41] – Introduction & context from Lawrence MacDonald
• [01:41–07:59] – Todd Moss’s testimony
• [07:06–08:15] – Moss’s concluding remarks and policy recommendations
• [08:28–08:52] – Outro and further resources

Overall Tone

Moss’s testimony is pragmatic and empathetic, emphasizing both the huge scope of energy poverty and the moral/strategic necessity for the US to act. He argues for policy realism—supporting clean energy while recognizing that fossil fuel investments may be necessary for rapid, large-scale electrification in Africa. The episode is informative, solution-focused, and avoids polemics, striving for a balanced approach between environmental goals and human development.

For Further Exploration

• Read Aaron Collinson’s blog and see photos from the testimony on the CGD website.
• For continued updates, follow the CGD Podcast (“Wonkcast”) on your preferred platform.