‘Renewable’ Energy Gives Us a Crisis

The West handed Iran leverage by deluding itself into believing it could wean itself from fossil fuel

By Brenda Shaffer. She is a faculty member at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School’s Energy Academic Group and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. Excerpts:

"Western countries’ abandonment of fossil fuels left the world’s energy supply vulnerable to disruptions and price increases"

"Despite trillions of dollars in renewable technology investments, fossil fuels accounted for 87% of global energy consumption in 2024, almost unchanged from the 1970s. Global oil, natural-gas and coal demand reached record levels in 2025."

"In 2019 the World Bank halted funding for upstream oil and natural-gas projects. The International Energy Agency’s “Net Zero by 2050” report in 2021 called for no new investments in fossil fuels."

"Had investments continued, Africa could have become a critical energy supplier, and the increased supply outside the Middle East could have softened the effect of current energy disruptions."

"Europe chose to rely on volatile liquefied natural gas supplies from distant regions rather than making long-term commitments to more secure sources such as pipeline gas from Azerbaijan."

"As countries increasingly rely on China for solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and critical minerals, they risk dependence on a single strategic competitor. Electrification also raises the risk of cyberattacks, which threaten the stability of energy infrastructure."

"renewable energy is still dependent on a baseload of fossil fuels"