Middle East crisis exposes global energy fault line as UN urges shift to renewables

(UN News) The ongoing crisis in the Middle East is exposing a central vulnerability in the global economy: the dependence on fossil fuels flowing through regions affected by conflict, a situation which is strengthening the UN’s case for a faster transition to cheaper, more resilient renewable power. The Hormuz Strait in the Persian Gulf, through which one fifth of the world’s supply of oil and gas passes, has been largely closed to shipping since the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, as well as, to a lesser extent, other nations, began a month ago. The disruption to supplies has already resulted in reduced access to the fossil fuels which countries around the world need to produce power, leading to higher prices rattling global markets in the process. The United Nations says the bottleneck caused by the virtual closure of the strait underscores a fundamental issue that energy security is no longer just about supply, but also about resilience and finding alternative power sources in an increasingly unstable world. – Middle East crisis exposes global energy fault line as UN urges shift to renewables | UN News