Ziggy Ojiegbe

The conflict in the Middle East is driving up global oil and gas prices, underscoring the strategic value of renewable energy, the UN’s top climate change official warned on Monday. Speaking at the 2026 Green Growth Summit in Brussels, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said the current crisis highlights the vulnerabilities of fossil fuel dependence.

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“Renewables turn the tables,” Stiell said during his keynote address to European climate and environment ministers, businesses, and investors. “Sunlight doesn’t depend on narrow and vulnerable shipping straits, wind blows without massive taxpayer-funded naval escorts, and renewable energy allows countries to insulate themselves from global turmoil and avoid might-is-right politics.”

Stiell argued that fossil fuel reliance undermines national security and sovereignty while inflating costs for households and businesses. He emphasized that renewable energy delivers multiple benefits, including lower energy bills, job creation, improved public health, and protection from price shocks.

“Some responses to the fossil fuel crisis, incredibly, argue for doubling down on the cause of the problem and slowing the shift to renewables, even though renewables are cheaper, safer, and faster to deploy,” he said. “This is completely delusional. History shows these crises will happen again and again.”

The UNFCC chief noted Europe’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels, which cost the continent more than €420 billion in 2024 alone. He pointed out that in 2025, renewables overtook coal as the world’s largest electricity source, with over $2 trillion invested in clean energy—double that of fossil fuels—demonstrating the enormous economic and environmental opportunity of the green transition.

Stiell highlighted European companies leading the charge in green technology, including SSAB, Maersk, and Holcim in steel, shipping, and cement, and Siemens, Schneider, and IPS in wind power, energy storage, and electro-tech services. He urged governments to back investment and innovation with smart policies, strong institutions, education, and social justice measures.

Drawing on historical precedent, he said, “Last century, when a continent reeling from war came together to build the foundations of integration, energy was top of the list. Secure and affordable energy, achieved through cooperation, is the basis of peace and prosperity. Today, these truths are more important than ever.”