Daniel Yergin

Daniel Yergin: Program Outlines

The New Energy Future in the New World Economy?
How will the world change? Daniel Yergin draws on innovative, original scenarios to explore how great changes – in international politics, global economy, technology and the environment – will shape our future. What will it mean for world energy and political power if Asia overtakes North America to become the biggest part of the world economy? Could oil lose its monopoly position in fueling our cars? What would that mean for world politics? What happens if globalization falters, leading to a disappointing economic future, and a “global fissure”? Yergin dynamically addresses the trends that will shape the world and drive us into the future, outlines the conflicting choices and visions for the world economy and addresses what the great battle over globalization is all about. He also identifies key risks and opportunities, and describes the path to a better, safer world where the interests of competitive nations can come together—and the encouraging signposts along the way.

Oil, Power & Money: The Age of Energy Insecurity
The great struggles over oil and energy—particularly how they interact with geopolitics and the future of society—are of a growing concern to everyone. Indeed, anxiety about energy is practically a part of daily life, prompting numerous questions about our energy future: What are the risks of conflict over energy resources and “a new energy crises.” What will be the impact of high prices on the global economy—and on our own lives? Is the world really running out of oil? Will wind, ethanol and other renewable resources fill the gap? How will the energy needs of a growing world match up with rising concerns about carbon and climate change? Daniel Yergin is uniquely qualified to tackle these critical questions. He combines in-depth thought and analysis and up-to-the-minute insight with the clarity and personal energy of a great communicator.

Globalization and the New Geopolitics
Today’s era—“The Second Age of Globalization”—is proving much more challenging than was thought a few years ago. Balances of power have been constantly shifting, resulting in new alliances. The U.S., China and Russia are taking on new roles in this shifting geopolitical world, as the entire world now deals with the consequences of the war on terrorism. The technological forces shaping our future have led to critical debates about what it means to live in the "24-hour interconnected, hyperactive, e-mail-fueled, and sleep-deprived world." Meanwhile, a backlash continues to build against a world open to trade, investment, and communications, with energy as one of the most important forces changing the position of nations. Russia—flat on its back only a few years ago—is now an “energy superpower.” China and India are the rising great powers. And worries about energy security are now a political fact in the United States and Europe, amplified by climate change. Daniel Yergin takes on the question of overriding importance—how today’s positive global economic developments will interact with the negative and worrying geopolitical trends that are emerging out of the new geopolitics.