Energy Transitions at a Crossroads Balancing Growth, Decarbonization, and Development

The global push for clean energy transitions has reached a critical juncture. As climate change intensifies, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face a precarious balancing act between addressing urgent adaptation needs, pursuing development goals, and decarbonizing their economies. While these objectives can be complementary, they also create challenging choices around meeting human development imperatives and decommissioning or avoiding further fossil development. These tensions were at the heart of a recent high-level panel moderated by Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, during New York Climate Week at the Nest Climate Campus. Hosted by the Duke Climate Commitment, the panel brought together Alix Peterson Zwane (former Global Innovation Fund/Duke), Stefano Marguccio (SE4All), and Stephanie von Friedeburg (former International Finance Corporation/Citibank) to discuss the future of energy transitions in the developing world. The discussion revealed several themes that will shape the future of energy transitions in the developing world.