How are renewable energies developing new geopolitics?

Economies, societies, and civilizations sustained by fossil fuels have enabled an atypical and dangerous time for society and the ecosystem. Accelerating global warming trends -evidenced by storms and melting ice, droughts and famine, unrest, and migration- increasingly drive a greater sense of urgency regarding the need for a rapid end to the fossil fuel era.

There is now a growing consensus that the transition to renewable energy, commonly understood as substituting fossil fuels, is an essential strategy for successfully addressing the climate crisis and creating a better future. However, what are the implications for the global balance of power as the transition from fossil fuels to renewables accelerates?

For a century, energy geopolitics has been a synonym for oil and gas. However, geopolitics and the global energy economy are changing. Since World War II, the dominant international order has faced continuous challenges, but the geopolitics of renewable energies have received relatively little attention.

Without question, I believe that the deployment of renewable energies has transformed the current international system. This deployment has changed the dynamics between countries regarding power distribution, energy systems coexistence, nations’ security, and economic, social, and technological development.

Furthermore, renewable energies could become a fundamental pillar for building peace among nations and position energy as a key factor for countries’ development. If we think about it, climate change has no limits or boundaries. It is a challenge that we must face collectively.

Working together as a society, we can seek better solutions to our hydrocarbon dependence and reduce the environmental havoc they cause. Collectively, we will be able to create a sustainable future with a better quality of life.

In one way or another, we will witness how economic factors, access to hydrocarbons, and geography will become increasingly less relevant and lead to a new energy era marked by renewable green energies present in every country. It is now the time to prioritize energy transition and make long-term concrete political decisions that help overcome governmental changes and guarantee energy security and independence.