Fossil Fuels Fight To Keep America Warm This International Clean Energy Day

Winter Storm Fern continued to rage on Monday, coinciding with the United Nations’ “International Day of Clean Energy” as fossil fuels supplied much of America’s electricity.

Established in 2023, the International Day of Clean Energy was declared by the UN General Assembly as a call to pivot from fossil fuel generation and to “mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.” As Winter Storm Fern pummeled much of the U.S., at least 18 people have died, more than 800,000 have been left without power and electricity costs have surged near data centers, according to multiple reports.

Meanwhile, oil, gas and coal have been powering the majority of several American power grids as solar and wind generation declined amid the extreme weather conditions, according to data from multiple grid operators and the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Some energy policy experts have noted the irony, with CEO of the American Energy Institute Jason Isaac telling the Daily Caller News Foundation that dispatchable resources are protecting the grid while the UN celebrates ideological policy.

“On the coldest days of the year, slogans do not keep the lights on. Oil, natural gas, nuclear, and coal are doing the real work of powering homes, hospitals, and critical infrastructure as bitter weather grips the country,” Isaac told the DCNF. “While the UN celebrates ‘clean energy day,’ Americans are being protected by reliable, affordable fuels that work regardless of temperature, wind, or sunlight. Energy policy should be grounded in reality, not ideology.”

The UN hosted an event Monday in New York for the occasion, “with the support of UN-Energy” to “review progress, share practical experiences, and agree on next steps to speed up the global shift to clean energy.”

“How we transition matters as much as how fast we do it. A successful energy transition must be just; it must be inclusive. That includes putting gender equality and women’s empowerment at the center of energy action,” the moderator noted at the UN meeting Monday. “Clean energy is not only about powering economies. … It’s about choosing a future that is fairer, more resilient and more hopeful.”

Under the Trump administration, America has exited multiple climate-related UN initiatives and bodies, including the Paris Agreement and, more recently, UN Energy, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The Trump administration has emphasized energy security dominance over climate change, with Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright issuing multiple emergency orders to keep coal plants running past their early retirement dates. The DOE projected in July 2025 that if America continues to phase out reliable energy sources without adequately replacing them, blackouts could increase by a factor of 100 by 2030.

Wright has issued several more emergency orders ahead of and during the storm, for grids in Texas and across the East Coast. One of these orders directs PJM, the largest U.S. power grid that serves 13 states and D.C., to keep running power plants even beyond pollution limits until Jan. 31 for the sake of affordability and reliability.

“We have identified more than 35 GW of unused backup generation that exists across the country and are taking action to ensure that if the nation needs it, the generation will be made available. Rest assured, President Trump and the Energy Department remain committed to doing everything in our power to mitigate blackouts and lower energy costs for the American people,” Wright said in a statement on Thursday, ahead of the storm. “The Trump administration will not stand by and allow the previous administration’s reckless energy subtraction policies and bureaucratic red tape put American lives at risk.”