Countries are embracing clean power and taking steps to use less energy because of the war against Iran, but it is not yet enough to help address climate change.
When the U.S. and Israel launched the war in February, some backers of renewables opined it could drive a green transition as oil and gas prices spiked. So far, more than 30 governments have enacted policies to move away from fossil fuels or improve energy efficiency. Yet at the same time, global emissions of greenhouse gases increased slightly and investments in clean energy fell compared to the same period last year.
The Associated Press talked to a dozen experts who said that while the Iran war appears to be helping the adoption of clean energy, the world is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. They said it will take more time for new policies to show results.
“Governments are currently doing a dance between acknowledging the importance of clean power while continuing to support fossil fuel expansion,” war studies lecturer Pauline Heinrichs at King’s College London wrote in an email. “We are seeing an old and a new world interact in contradiction with each other.”
There has been a surge in solar installations in the United Kingdom. The government is also considering expanding natural gas production. In Asia, where there’s massive demand for solar power and electric vehicles, Indonesia is replacing some diesel power plants with solar, while also doubling down on coal for heavy industries.
Clean investment lost momentum globally, but the story differs importantly by region
Global investment in wind and solar deployment fell in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, after several years of growth, according to Rhodium Group’s Clean Investment Monitor. China accounted for most of the global decline. In the U.S., Europe and India, where economies are more exposed to gas and oil prices, solar investment grew and wind investment held stable or grew, said Hannah Pitt, a director at Rhodium.
In February, Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson said it was “just wishful thinking” that the new war would boost support for homegrown renewables over imported fossil fuels — unless it turned out to be a sustained conflict.
Six months later, Jackson said he didn’t anticipate oil prices hurdling past $90 or $100 a barrel for so long. If dozens of countries are promoting electric vehicle incentives, charging infrastructure and electrification in general, that can help in the fight against climate change, added Jackson. But only if those actions are sustained.
“We need that action over years, to decades, to make a dent in the climate problem,” Jackson said Monday.
Climate pollution increased marginally
Thirty-three governments adopted policies to switch from fossil fuels to electricity or improve energy efficiency in response to the Middle East conflict, as of Sept. 9, according to the International Energy Agency. This includes supporting EV…
Read More: The Iran war is driving clean energy development. It’s not enough to help
