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NCSD Chairman’s Note 2024

The purpose of this Chairman’s note is as an overview of significant events of the past year and how our NGO is positioned for the new year 2024: with all its possibilities.

I believe it is good to sum up yearly past highlights and important to indicate where we hope to be going for the year ahead. For over 20 years, the National Center for Sustainable Development (NCSD) in Washington, DC has chosen to follow sustainable development models that can be practically demonstrated over more traditional public advocacy. We believe that the soundness of good lasting public policy rests upon sustainable development principles in a call to action to demonstrate its value in public policy. Not just in the United States but everywhere in the world it is crucial to seek long term economically beneficial policy that leads to human prosperity and well-being can solve at a very basic level the needs of whole segments of the world’s inhabitants.   

2023 Energy Storage = Energy Vault

This past year the issue of “energy storage” became mainstream being recognized for many as the “missing link” in the virtuous cycle of the growth of renewable energy sources globally. There are hundreds of needs for batteries of all kinds for specific situations: Energy Vault’s storage options allow for a better run energy grid and long duration reserves. Without a robust storage component for electrical energy all the societal cost of infrastructure to produce renewable energy is proportionately dissipated: due to timing of generation and demand.

Energy Vault’s current globally significant gravity energy storage project nearly completed near Shanghai will demonstrate the proof of concept when it is commissioned this year. NCSD was glad to help bring parties together to overcome impediments in the policy sphere and help to navigate the very real issues of engineering something that had previously never been attempted. NCSD began with the simple request: what can we do to help!

This is the story of NGO assistance that now goes back two decades. NCSD has found that the “helping” that is most valuable may often require an imported catalyst to bring the capital, expertise and know how to initiate sustainable economic development. We start with the organizing principle of basic requirements for success. Based upon our work in many countries over many years we have an NGO’s DNA to solve problems and serve to craft solutions in the governmental, economic and financial policy area.

Carbon Reductions Framework: 2030 & 2060

In the last few years many societies have adopted the challenge to curb carbon emissions to meet agreed international benchmarks: these objectives often use the shorthand 2030 for carbon peak and 2060 for carbon neutrality. Being a goal then indicates policies of “what to do” but often not exactly how to do it. This is where NCSD evaluates and suggests approaches that philosophically rest upon the sustainable development path.

Building trust, applying knowledge, recognizing the aspects of law, regulation and public policy recognizing that much may not yet have evolved to address these questions. NCSD is often asked to participate with local partners to sort out priorities and to develop a plan suitable to their societal and governmental structures. NCSD has always done its best to highlight what is best long term for a people and developing countries.

The NCSD in 2023 expanded its to look beyond the scope of the production and storage of energy to the newest technologies in the electric power sector. Without a unified gameplan that recognizes the importance and critical nature of electric power (its availability, resilience and capacity) electricity becomes a core asset that, like water, that is crucial to any developing nation’s quest for prosperity. It is remarkable that no matter how many groups of people we talk to many of the solutions relate to the microcosm of the individual and their ability to have a job to secure their economic future and that of their family. This is a core function as we see it of achieving sustainable development!

The NCSD has the view that any group or society that shares the NGO’s common views of a better world by adopting Climate Mitigation strategies while pursuing sustainable economic development are welcome to participate in its efforts! During 2023 NCSD opened what they can be described as enormously gratifying and important relationship with two nations both of which share the desire for sustainable economic development while embracing philosophies of individual responsibility for mitigating the common crisis of Climate Change.

Mongolia, with its capital in Ulaanbaatar, is a good example of the need to discern a solution to an antiquated power grid and power import problem. There are, from our visits and discussions several good solutions which are currently underway with NCSD assistance to create a “leapfrog approach” to building a modern power grid without the intermediate steps of replacing infrastructure that currently exists with a program of sufficient capacity that the society can “build into” its need for great electrical power.

In the case of Saudi Arabia where NCSD responded to the Kingdom’s long sought interest in expanding economic opportunities for its burgeoning under 30 population, NCSD working with its colleague the Energy Investment Professional Committee (EIPC) an NGO affiliate with the Investment Association of China.

NCSD has been assisting several key industrial parks established by the Saudi Government to create a catalyst for economic development. This effort demonstrates that economic development is about alignment of economic interests and we are hopeful of being able to discuss more on this topic later in 2024!

Saudi Arabia is at the center for the Islamic World and increasingly understood to be located at the ancient crossroads of world trade!  What has become apparent is that Saudi Arabia with the recent push toward sustainable economic development is really creating a new economic development model that truly incorporates the ambitions and aspirations of its high percentage young population. 

The Saudi Leadership has adopted policies for Carbon Peak in 2030 and Carbon Neutrality in 2050. It has been said that NCSD helped the discussion by creating a dynamic environment to think through how carbon emissions can be reduced while continuing the drive for sustainable economic development. We believe sustainable economic development is the solution to the Climate reduction goals of many nations.

New Opportunity Ahead!

NCSD ended 2023 with a bold opportunity to work with a world class electric vehicle manufacturer to help establish a new platform for its products in the Middle East. The reason this is so appealing is that each electric vehicle becomes its own demonstration project in an area of the world needing sustainable development at the ground level. With products being manufactured, requiring skilled labor where there was none before: I see this opportunity as directly in line with our tradition to serve as a catalyst for new economic development. While more of this development will be reported as it happens, I think the end of 2023 is setting the stage for a more productive sustainable year ahead.

Sincerely,

Mitchell F. Stanley

Chairman and Trustee