As the Technical Director of Clean Energy Finance at the WRI Polsky Energy Center, David sets and implements a research agenda to support the delivery of clean, abundant, affordable, and reliable energy. With a global remit, David's portfolio encompasses decarbonizing energy consumption, clean energy supply, access, and critical minerals mining. Before joining the WRI Polsky Energy Center, David spent a decade in the U.S. government finance agency ecosystem. At the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, he originated, implemented, and supported innovative clean energy and mining projects like sub-Saharan Africa's first grid connected battery and the world's first ex-China supply chain for graphite. With experience across a spectrum of technologies and scales, David has led bankable pre-construction energy estimations for gigawatts of new renewable power on four continents as well as grant-financed deployments of clean cooking solutions. David has been focused on Africa in recent years but has worked throughout south and southeast Asia as well as the United States.
Public Finance Can Help Scale Responsible Critical Mineral Supply
As demand soars for critical minerals, policymakers face a dual challenge: scaling supply quickly and responsibly. This tradeoff can exacerbate environmental and social risks related to mining while disproportionately affecting communities near mines. Negative environmental and social impacts can also affect mine operators by delaying permitting, disrupting production and exposing operators to reputational and legal liabilities. Yet markets have not reliably rewarded stronger environmental and social performance, allowing lower-cost, lower standard mineral supplies to remain competitive. Public finance can help address these challenges by incentivizing market shifts. In this presentation, we explain how incentives can be designed to promote responsible production.
