Power To The People

The thirst for energy in developing countries will only grow as economic freedom spreads. People there see how we in the west live and refuse to be left behind. In Power to the People Swedish economist and author Johan Norberg explores the incredible challenge this demand presents to man- and woman-kind. As costs rise and concern for climate change increases, these questions loom large: How are we going to maintain our standard of living?How do we reduce our impact on the planet? And how will we get power to ALL the people? Based on Norberg’s travels for the television documentary Power to the People, his investigation peels back the layers of this global challenge, often questioning the conventional wisdom on what works and what doesn’t. His journey starts in the Moroccan bazaars of Marrakech, which functioned fine for eons without modern conveniences, but where electric lights, computers, cell phones and credit card readers are now everywhere. Even more telling is Norberg’s journey to a remote Berber village in the Sahara Desert. More than half the world still cooks its food over open flames but this is rapidly changing, including here, where women now cook on gas stoves, and some even have refrigerators.