23/04/26
Middle East crisis bolsters case for fossil fuel shift
Edinburgh, 23 April (Argus) — The war in the Middle East is strengthening the
case for a transition away from fossil fuels, but countries must balance the
crisis' shorter-term consequences on energy costs with longer-term policies. The
situation will spur energy shifts, as others crises have done before, IEA
executive director Fatih Birol said this week, pointing to increased fuel
efficiency in vehicles, the rise of biofuels in Brazil and an increase in
nuclear power in Europe and some countries in Asia-Pacific after the oil crises
in the 1970s. "I believe there will be a major response on the energy side, and
we are more fortunate now because we have many available technologies which are
cost effective," he said. Turkey's environment minister Murat Kurum, the
upcoming Cop 31 climate summit president, said this week that the crisis has
"clearly shown us that fossil fuels do not guarantee energy supply security" and
countries should invest in "alternative energy sources" to support stability,
resilient and clean development. He recalled the agreement taken in Dubai in
2023, when almost 200 countries agreed on "transitioning away from fossil fuels
in energy systems" and to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy
efficiency rates by 2030. Kurum highlighted how important the need for
alternative energy sources and economic diversification is now, considering
national circumstances. "Doubling down on fossil fuels is not the answer to that
crisis," Australia's climate and energy minister Chris Bowen said on 21 April ,
the same day UK energy minister Ed Miliband said "the era of fossil fuels is
over". "In response to recent events, our actions must be faster, deeper and
more wide-ranging to protect energy security", Ed Miliband said as he laid out
measures to cut electricity costs . He said it will be irresponsible "to carry
on with business as usual", because there are compelling clean alternatives to
fossil fuels. EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said more actions need to be
taken to protect citizens and industries from future shocks, saying the current
crisis "must be a wake-up call". But he cautioned about the costs being felt now
and the long-term effects the crisis will have on member states' economies as
countries find themselves having to balance short-term measures with longer term
policies. Jorgensen warned against "burning" public money in fossil fuels
subsidies, and suggested looking at targeted measures delivering "double value",
such as offering support to change from boilers to heat pumps or electric
vehicle (EV) leasing. He also said the crisis should not derail long term
signals deployed alongside climate policies. Some countries in Asia-Pacific,
including South Korea and Vietnam, have turned to increased coal-fired power
generation to reduce LNG consumption, as the disruptions in the Mideast Gulf
have cut off around 20pc of global LNG supply. Japan has moved to lift
restrictions on coal-fired power plants until March 2027. Globally, power
generation from fossil fuels fell in the first month since the maritime traffic
halted through the strait of Hormuz, according to Helsinki-based Centre for
Research on Energy and Clean Air lead analyst Lauri Myllyvirta. But the IEA's
Birol warned the longer the conflict goes on, the more severe the effects will
be. Long-term strategy resilience is important because short-term reactions are
always costly, Indian think-tank senior modelling specialist Niti Aayog
Venugopal Mothkoor told Non-profit World Resources Institute (WRI). India is
looking at electrification in terms of decarbonisation and as an important
strategy to support resilience, because electricity can be produced domestically
and most of the renewable resources are located in the country, he said. Long
term policies to shift to cleaner energy cut emissions and contribute to bolster
energy security and help insulate countries from fossil fuel price swings. "Long
term strategies are indispensable in an unstable world," he said. "At the end of
the day, we have to take steps to help countries to transition towards clean
energies and in terms of phasing out fossil fuels," Turkey's Kurum said this
week. By Caroline Varin Send comments and request more information at
feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights
reserved.
