Kamal Ghorui
A promise made at the 2023 COP28 climate summit to move away from fossil fuels had raised hopes that the world will now be shifting in another direction. Some even saw it as the beginning of the end for using oil as a fuel. However, even years later, the promise seems far from being fulfilled. Despite strong scientific agreement that global warming is real and largely driven by the burning of fossil fuels, the transition has barely moved forward.The ongoing Middle East conflict has only highlighted how dependent the world still is on oil. With Iran tightening its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, global energy supplies and the wider economy under strain. While some believe such conflicts should push countries to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, current trends suggest that goal is still far off. Countries, despite the availability of alternatives such as clean energy sources like solar and thermal power, still remain reliant on fossil fuels.So why, even after knowing the impact, consequences of using fossil fuels and need to move away from them, why the world keeps falling back to it?
Steering away from fossil fuels — Why is it so hard?
One of the biggest hurdles to quitting oil is the economy itself. Global markets are vulnerable to oil prices, reflecting how deeply fossil fuels are woven into financial systems.Claudio Angelo, the international policy coordinator at Brazil’s Climate Observatory, told AFP, “We cannot make the transition by shutting down fossil fuel companies overnight, because that would be an unprecedented worldwide economic disaster.” Furthermore, many countries like Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, depend almost entirely on oil revenues. Angelo warned that even countries with more varied economies, such as Brazil, could see serious economic damage if crude oil exports were cut off.But what stops nations that have enough resources? Politics is another major factor. Bill Hare, director of Climate Analytics, said countries like the United States, Canada and Australia have the resources to move towards cleaner energy.“For these countries, I think it’s a matter of political will,” he told AFP.However, with Trump back in power and other right-wing leaders gaining ground globally, economic interests are once again taking priority over climate concerns. Some leaders have even questioned whether climate change exists.“There is a whole vision of the West, led by the United States, of going back to a model that’s already been tried,” said Leonardo Stanley, an associate researcher at the Center for the Study of State and Society in Buenos Aires.The influence of the oil and gas industry is also seen as a major obstacle.“The oil and gas sector is the most powerful lobbying interest on Earth,” Climate Observatory’s Angelo said.“For 30 years, they have been playing for time to delay changes,” he added.An AFP investigation in 2023 found that consulting firm McKinsey, which works with companies like ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, defended their interests during discussions ahead of COP28.Money is another sticking point. Moving away from oil will require strong financial support, both for wealthy oil-producing nations and for countries that rely heavily on imports.“But to start this process it’s got to be some willingness from the big economic powers, the middle and big economic powers to actually come up with an international system that will facilitate this,” Hare said.Despite the slow progress, there are some signs of change. In 2025, renewable energy made up nearly half of the world’s electricity capacity, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the highest level on record.China has rapidly expanded its wind and solar power in the past year, even as it remains the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. In Pakistan, solar energy has grown from a minor source in 2020 to one of the country’s main power supplies.Hare also noted that in some parts of the United States and Australia, the rise of renewable energy has helped bring down electricity bills, showing some of the benefits of the shift already underway.
