Iran War Spurs Clean Energy Despite Rising Emissions

The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has driven up oil and gas prices, prompting fuel-price protests and unrest in countries including Guatemala and Syria while forcing governments to weigh subsidies against inflation. The energy shock has also encouraged more than 30 governments to promote renewable power, improve energy efficiency or reduce fossil-fuel dependence. However, global greenhouse-gas emissions still rose slightly in the first half of 2026, and worldwide investment in new wind and solar capacity declined compared with the same period a year earlier, largely because of a drop in China. Renewable adoption is increasing in places such as the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Europe and India, but governments continue to expand or support fossil-fuel production to protect energy security and heavy industry. Experts say the conflict may accelerate the clean-energy transition over time, but the world remains too dependent on fossil fuels for current policies to meaningfully address climate change.