‘Pardee Paper’ Presented at Development Conference

Moeed Yusuf, Graduate Research Fellow at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future participated in an international development conference in Pakistan on December 1-3, 2008. The conference titled Peace and Sustainable Development in South Asia: Issues and Challenges of Globalization was organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Moeed Yusuf spoke on four panels during the conference including one on Energy Sharing Across Borders where he made a presentation on Energy Security and Geo-politics in South Asia, drawing heavily on his recent Pardee Paper, Does Nuclear Energy Have a Future?’

Moeed Yusuf argued that the focus of South Asian countries like India and Pakistan on nuclear energy was misplaced as the nuclear industry is likely to remain economically uncompetitive and politically sensitive for the foreseeable future. He pointed to the high opportunity cost of investing heavily in nuclear energy, especially when the source is only expected to impact the energy security dimension marginally for most frontrunners, including India, Pakistan, and China. The Pardee Paper was well received and generated keen interest from various quarters, including members of the Government of Pakistan’s Task Force on Climate Change who were present at the occasion.