| After WWI, President Woodrow Wilson said, "the | | | | and Pakistan have proposed a transmission line |
| highest and best form of efficiency is the | | | | among their states5. Calling it a "win-win situation", |
| spontaneous cooperation of a free people." Where is | | | | the Krgryz Energy Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi stated |
| the evidence of spontaneous cooperation in our | | | | "we want to bring benefits to the common man |
| world today? Historically, it seems that the cause of | | | | because if there is economic activity and prosperity, |
| war -- Pearl Harbor, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and | | | | it will be shared by the people of these countries." |
| September 11th -- will catalyze a society and nations | | | | Moreover, all 10 nations of the Association of |
| to cooperate. Must we have our backs to the wall, | | | | Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have pledged to |
| or is it possible for a compelling vision to create | | | | interconnect the grids of its members6. |
| spontaneous cooperation? | | | | In Africa, NEPAD (New African Partnership for |
| The Critical Question In 1969, Dr. R Buckminster Fuller | | | | Development) and the African Development Bank are |
| (most well known for geodesic domes and | | | | supporting the Kenya - Ethiopia7 agreement to |
| Buckyballs) developed a World Game simulation to | | | | supply power to each other. Modeled after the 12 |
| explore global resources and trends. It posed the | | | | nation South African Power Pool, 14 ECOWAS |
| critical question, "how do we make the world work | | | | (Economic Community of West African States) |
| for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time | | | | nations are planning to link their energy grids8. |
| through spontaneous cooperation without ecological | | | | The Middle East has seen an wave of integration. |
| damage or disadvantage of anyone?" In other words, | | | | Lebanon will be linked to the regional electricity grid |
| how do we provide a decent living standard for | | | | that includes Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey as of |
| everyone in an environmentally sustainable way? The | | | | the beginning of next year9. This interconnection |
| part about "through spontaneous cooperation" always | | | | project also involves the joining of Libya and Iraq10. |
| remained a puzzle to me. How does positive change | | | | Last month, former enemies Iran and Iraq11 agreed |
| happen spontaneously on a global scale? | | | | to build four cross-border power lines to transfer |
| The premier strategy of Fuller's global simulation was | | | | 1000 MW of power. |
| the interconnection of electric power grids between | | | | Mexico's Mesoamerica Initiative12 plans to integrate |
| regions and nations with an emphasis on tapping | | | | the energy grids all Central American nations. The |
| abundant renewable energy resources around the | | | | World Bank and the US DOE are partnering with the |
| world. Electricity provides the foundation of our | | | | Central American Integration Secretariat13 to |
| modern society, and power grids act as freeways | | | | encourage clean energy development, emphasizing |
| that deliver the electricity to power our homes, | | | | renewables over fossil fuel projects. |
| businesses and industry. During the 20th Century, | | | | Most of these projects have been planned by |
| transmission lines delivered electricity from large, | | | | engineers for years. The economic benefits -- load |
| centralized plants that burned fossil fuels and nuclear | | | | leveling, reliability of supply, emergency backup -- are |
| energy. Today, developers of wind, solar and | | | | all proven. Yet international transmission requires |
| geothermal resources in remote locations are plugging | | | | agreement between ministries of energy and state, |
| into these expanding grid systems -- decentralizing | | | | financial institutions, local utilities and property owners. |
| power production while increasing grid integration. | | | | Cooperation must overcome the combined barriers |
| But spontaneous cooperation? Hardly. Any project | | | | of multiple stakeholders. |
| developer will tell you all the hurdles they face due to | | | | Emergence through emergency So what's happened |
| regulations, interconnection and siting issues. In the | | | | in the world to cause these nations to work |
| energy industry, the time lag between project | | | | together? Buckminster Fuller said that society will |
| proposal to actual commissioning can be 10 - 20 | | | | often "emerge through emergency"14 -- because |
| years. | | | | when times are good, any change at all is difficult. For |
| Yet quietly -- below the radar of most observers -- | | | | many developing nations the challenge is dire: 1.6 billion |
| Fuller's vision of using power lines to link nations | | | | people have no electrical services - no refrigeration of |
| across borders has recently been energized at a | | | | food or medicine, clean water or lighting. For the rest |
| pace never seen before. | | | | of us, scientific consensus on climate change clearly |
| Nations are linking up In the past few months, Russia | | | | places the cause on our 'addiction to oil' for |
| and China1 agreed to large-scale power grid | | | | transportation, and burning coal and natural gas for |
| interconnections that will benefit both economies. | | | | power production. |
| Additionally, the Chinese have signed deals with | | | | Today, half the nations on the planet are linked with |
| Tajikistan2 and Vietnam3 to build transmission lines | | | | a neighbor, but half remain electric energy islands. The |
| across their respective borders. The South Koreans | | | | emergencies of our time: poverty, climate change, |
| have offered to extend their grid into North Korea | | | | peace and population growth are in our face daily. |
| and modernize the North Korean network as a part | | | | These issues and their solutions transcend political |
| of the negotiations to scrap the North's nuclear | | | | boundaries. National leaders are seeing the benefits of |
| program4. | | | | mutual interdependence over trying to go it alone. |
| In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan | | | | |