• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Politics
    • Joe Biden
    • Extremism
    • Europe
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab World
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate Change
    • Smart Cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
Fair Observer Logo Fair Observer Logo
  • Sign Up
  • Support FO°
  • Login
  • LOGIN

    • Lost your password?
    Forget Password?

    New to Fair Observer? Register Now

    Contributor Member
Fair Observer Logo

Antoine van Agtmael: Stagflation and Race for Clean High Tech

Antoine van Agtmael

  &  

Atul Singh

  -  January 31, 2023

Antoine van Agtmael is a legendary investor who came up with the term “emerging markets” and was the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Public Radio (NPR) Foundation. His distinguished track record as an investor and his rich professional career make him uniquely suited to read the tea leaves for the global economy and the future of clean tech. 

With Fred Bakker, van Agtmael is the author of The Smartest Places on Earth: Why Rustbelts Are the Emerging Hotspots of Global Innovation. Earlier in his career, van Agtmael authored The Emerging Markets Century: How a New Breed of World-Class Companies Is Overtaking the World. Few understand the big trends shaping the world better than van Agtmael. Given his track record, his views on the future of our planet are immensely important.

Stagnation Returns

The financial world waits with bated breath to see how 2023 will transpire. Technology companies have been firing thousands and investment banks are now following suit. Wall Street trouble is reflected on Main Street. Rising costs of living, slowdown in growth, the continuing effects of the COVID pandemic and turbulent global crises have most pundits anticipating a global recession. Van Agtmael thinks we are headed for stagflation. 

While most pundits are praying for a soft landing and a gentle recession, van Agtmael makes a compelling case for stagflation. Rising prices, slowing growth and several national and international crises have left markets reeling. All this, van Agtmael notes, has chilling parallels to stagflation in the 1970s. However, there are key differences that could negate the worst aspects of this stagflation and offer a way out.

Clean Tech

Yet van Agtmael also points out that the clean energy sector will be a bright spot. Trends in energy generation, technological breakthroughs and a growing clean energy market are ripe with potential. In a world that is moving away from carbon, the cost of wind and solar is dropping yearly. This means clean energy is becoming more accessible to regular consumers. Nuclear fusion is also on the cards. Van Agtmael sees an era of incredible growth for clean energy.

Having said that, Uncle Sam needs to catch up. While the US thinks of itself at the cutting edge of technology, China has made more progress in clean energy. Its own nuclear fusion experiments have surpassed America’s. China has poured talent and resources into clean energy technologies. They are leading in many sectors and the US has to pull up its socks to compete.

The US is certainly a leader in wasteful energy consumption. Buildings in the US are designed inefficiently and the American fixation with cars is well-documented. Singh and van Agtmael examine how other countries conserve energy and explore how the US could become more energy efficient.

The Green Top-Bottom Feedback Loop

Some believe in top-down government regulation. Others swear by bottom-up innovation. Van Agtmael thinks differently. This insightful Dutchman argues that there is a “feedback” loop between top-down government regulation and bottom-up innovation. Both are important to bring long-lasting change.

Historically, bottom-up movements raise public awareness and put pressure on larger institutions such the government and large companies to change track. In turn, government policy can mandate big changes such as higher emissions standards for cars or regulations to make buildings more energy efficient. Governments can also allocate large resources for research and development and/or give incentives to private players to do so.

The combination of public enthusiasm and government policy can lead to major changes as Germany, Israel and the US demonstrate. Socially, politically and economically liberal countries have the advantage when it comes to innovation. The change in energy generation, distribution and consumption will be both a bottom-up and top-down affair in these countries, and will transform the world.

Antoine van Agtmael: Stagflation and Race for Clean High Tech


[ Matthew Knudson wrote the first draft of this podcast description.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

ALSO AVAILABLE ON:
SPOTIFY ITUNES AMAZON

More Episodes

The Hot Mic: Analyzing Biden's 2nd Term, Chinese Spy Balloons, and Unstable Energy Markets

Atul Singh & Christopher Roper Schell, March 17, 2023

Antoine van Agtmael: The Future of Emerging Markets, India and Inequality

Antoine van Agtmael & Atul Singh, March 11, 2023

Antoine van Agtmael: New Perspective on Europe, China and Demography

Antoine van Agtmael & Atul Singh, February 15, 2023

The Hot Mic: Divided US Congress, German Tanks and China’s COVID Catastrophe

Atul Singh & Christopher Roper Schell, February 10, 2023

Must Listen

Fair Observer

The Hot Mic: Trump Trumped, Looming Recession and India-China Clash

Atul Singh & Christopher Roper Schell, January 11, 2023
Fair Observer

As US and China Clash, Taiwan Moves Closer to the Brink of Disaster

Atul Singh & Glenn Carle, August 15, 2022
Fair Observer

Serbian City Novi Sad: European Through Culture

Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, August 13, 2022
Fair Observer

Joe Biden’s Saudi Arabia Visit to Meet Mohammad bin Salman

Arab Digest, August 12, 2022
Fair Observer

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Russia-Ukraine War

Arab Digest, August 6, 2022
Fair Observer

India & Japan: Implications of Ukraine on Asia (Episode 2)

Fair Observer, August 3, 2022
Fair Observer

Putin Takes the Middle East and North Africa to the Precipice of Disaster

Arab Digest, July 29, 2022
Fair Observer

Italy, Tunisia and Algeria Form a Mediterranean Energy Treble

Arab Digest, July 22, 2022
Fair Observer, 461 Harbor Blvd, Belmont, CA 94002, USA
Subscribe

Subscribe

Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.

Subscribe

Publish

Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.

Subscribe

Donate

We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Republish
  • Authors
  • Privacy Policy
  • FO Store
  • Terms of Use
  • FAQs
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • Central & South Asia
  • North America
  • Europe

Topics

  • Politics
  • Environment
  • Economics
  • Global Change
  • Business
  • International Security
  • Culture
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • Video
  • The Interview
  • Podcasts
  • In-Depth
  • Interactive
  • Insight
  • My Voice
  • Quick Read

Daily Dispatch

Designed, Developed and Maintained by Netleon Technologies
© Fair Observer All rights reserved
Fair Observer Education Logo Fair Observer Leadership Academy Logo

    Fill below form to share your concern with us

    *Indicates required field

    BOOKMARK

    Want to save this post?

    Register as a member to support independent journalism and enjoy subscriber benefits.

    BECOME A MEMBER

    NEWSLETTER

    Make Sense of the World

    Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries

    NEWSLETTER

    Make Sense of the World

    Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries

    Fair observer

    Make Sense of the World

    Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries

    We Need Your Consent
    We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Edit Cookie Preferences

    The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

    As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

     
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    These cookies essential for the website to function.
    Social Media
    These cookies are used to enable sharing or following of content that you find interesting on our website. These settings apply to third-party social networking and other websites.
    Performance & Functionality
    These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of our website. They provide statistics on how our website is used and help us improve by measuring errors. Certain functionalities on our website may become unavailable without these cookies.
    Analytics
    SAVE & ACCEPT