Energy Crisis Requires a Global Agency

A global agency is needed to deal with the developing energy crisis, Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, writes in the Financial Times. Demand for energy is rising fast and alternatives to fossil fuels remain largely hypothetical, and though there are international organizations to deal with everything from health to aviation, energy “is dealt with in a fragmented, piecemeal way.”

An international energy organization would complement the existing patchwork of institutions, argues ElBaradei. It would provide “a vital inter-governmental perspective to bear on issues that cannot be left to market forces alone, such as the development of new energy technology, the role of nuclear power” and reducing greenhouse emissions. (More IAEA stories.)