International security, domestic energy production, and environmental protection are often discussed separately, but rising global energy demand has implications for a range of issues, including security, economics, and the environment. There is growing recognition, particularly since September 11, of the security dimensions of energy consumption and the economic costs of high energy prices. Global warming also remains a serious concern, but solutions to one policy arena may exacerbate problems in others.
In an effort to build a national consensus on addressing the global dimensions of U.S. energy policy, the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies, and the National Commission on Energy Policy co-sponsored a bipartisan, one-day conference on energy and the global environment that brought together national political leaders, business executives, and foreign policy experts.