The Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass, has been largely closed to navigation since the conflict began a month ago involving Iran, the United States, Israel and, to a lesser extent, other countries.
Supply disruptions are already reducing countries around the world’s access to the fossil fuels they need to generate electricity, leading to soaring prices that have rocked global markets in the process.
The United Nations says the bottleneck caused by the effective closure of the Strait highlights the fundamental problem that energy security is no longer just about supply, but also about resilience and finding alternative power sources in an increasingly unstable world.
why is it important
Concerns over the use of fossil fuels have typically been associated with climate change due to the warming effects of the gases released during combustion, but there is now more emphasis on energy security.
Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that “in this age of war… dependence on fossil fuels destabilizes both the climate and global security.”
effects of war
Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, it has become increasingly clear that:
- Critical oil and gas supplies are concentrated in conflict-prone areas
- Military escalation could disrupt transport routes
- Price fluctuations spread rapidly throughout the economy
big picture
As countries around the world continue to rely on fossil fuels to meet the daily needs of their populations and fuel economic growth, they are proving more vulnerable than ever to sudden supply disruptions.
Maintain stable and strategic relationships with other countries so that electricity supply becomes important as energy demand increases.
“Three-quarters of humanity lives in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels, dependent on energy they do not control and unpredictable prices,” Guterres said in February.
A technician works on solar panels in Chhattisgarh, India.
The UN chief also warned of the risk that development budgets “are constantly at the mercy of geopolitical turmoil and supply disruptions, and are siphoned off into fuel costs”, insisting that “the transition away from fossil fuels must stop being a taboo”.
The promise of renewable energy
One solution to protecting ourselves from the crisis and disruption caused by lack of access to fossil fuels is to transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower.
These offer a fundamentally different, more widely accessible, and potentially cheaper power supply model.
Because renewable energy is often locally sourced and produced domestically, it is less vulnerable to the global upheavals that geopolitical crises can cause.
As UN climate chief Simon Steele emphasized earlier this year: “Renewable energy is the clearest and cheapest path to energy security and sovereignty, protecting countries and economies from the shocks caused by war, trade disruption and ‘just-right’ politics that make all countries poorer.”
Energy transition underway
The transition from fossil fuel resources to renewable energy has already begun.
Kenya, in East Africa, has become a world leader in renewable energy, particularly geothermal power, and generates the majority of its electricity from renewable sources.
The South American country of Chile is one of the fastest growing renewable energy markets in the world. We took advantage of natural conditions like the Atacama Desert to expand solar and wind power and move away from coal-fired power generation.
India is also focusing on expanding its solar and wind infrastructure and incorporating renewable energy into its national development and electrification strategy, but it remains heavily dependent on oil and gas, typically supplied through the Strait of Hormuz from neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf.
Read the United Nations 2025 Energy Progress Report
The power of people is what matters
While energy security is a growing geopolitical issue that sovereign nations must address, it is also a deeply personal issue, affecting families and individuals around the world, as people face rising utility bills and an overall rising cost of living.
Gasoline prices are rising worldwide.
According to the United Nations, renewable energy is cheaper than coal, oil and gas in most cases, so it can directly reduce household electricity bills.
Renewable energy can also protect people from future price increases by providing cheaper, more reliable electricity directly to communities.
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