Energy fallout from Iran war signals a global wake-up call for renewable energy

Wind turbines operate along a solar farm near Weifang in eastern China's Shandong province on March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File) 2026-03-20T04:09:42Z HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The war in Iran is exposing the world’s reliance on fragile fossil fuel routes, lending urgency to calls for hastening the shift to renewable energy. Fighting has all but halted oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz , the narrow waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, or LNG. The disruption has jolted energy markets, pushing up prices and straining import-dependent economies . Asia, where most of the oil was headed, has been hit hardest , but the disruptions also are a strain for Europe, where policymakers are looking for ways to cut energy demand, and for Africa, which is bracing for rising fuel costs and inflation . Unlike during previous oil shocks, renewable power is now competitive with fossil fuels in many places. More than 90% of new renewable power projects worldwide in 2024 were cheaper than fossil-fuel alternatives, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency . Oil is used in many industries beyond generating electricity, such as fertilizer and plastics production. So most countries are feeling the impact , while those with more renewable power are more insulated since renewables rely on domestic resources like sun and wind, not imported fuels. “These crises regularly occur,” said James Bowen of the Australia-based consultancy, ReMap Research. “They are a feature, not a bug, of a fossil fuel-based energy system.” China and India built renewable buffers, but China’s is larger A worker stacks single solar cells at a ReNew manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File) A worker stacks single solar cells at a ReNew manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File) –> Add AP News on Google Add AP Ne

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