Overview
- At the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Australia and Turkey said the current crisis shows fossil fuels are unreliable and called for faster investment in clean power.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that fossil fuels are holding economies hostage after prices jumped when Iran restricted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
- More than 50 countries will gather in Santa Marta, Colombia, to discuss a nonbinding plan and potential standalone treaty ideas to wind down coal, oil and gas with protections for workers and financial systems.
- Some governments have leaned on fossil fuels to plug short-term gaps, yet many are accelerating electrification, with the EU planning faster rollouts, France doubling aid for EVs and heat pumps, and South Korea aiming to double renewables capacity within four years.
- People are feeling the squeeze most in fuel‑dependent places, with Pacific island states declaring a regional emergency and Australian motorists paying far more for petrol as EV sales hit record highs.