  I review the effects of dust, both in absorption and in emission, on the
spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of Local star-forming galaxies. The energy
balance between the stellar light absorbed by dust at UV-optical-nearIR
wavelengths and the energy re-emitted by dust in the far infrared (FIR) shows
that the amount of dust extinction affecting the galaxy can be predicted with
simple prescriptions applied to the UV-optical data. The implications of these
results for high redshift galaxies are discussed. Arguments can be given to
support the view that Local starbursts are representative of high-redshift
(z>2), UV-detected, star-forming galaxies. If this is the case, the high
redshift FIR emission will be generally undetected in sub-mm surveys, unless
(1) the bolometric luminosity of the high-z galaxies is comparable to or larger
than that of Local ultraluminous FIR galaxies and (2) their FIR SED contains a
cool dust component.
