UN Climate Chief: “Faster energy transitions are core to national security'

UN Climate Chief: "Faster energy transitions are core to national security"

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Below are remarks delivered by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell during the General Assembly Informal Interactive Dialogue "Accelerating the Global Energy Transition: Advancing Renewables and Mobilizing Investment" on Friday 24 July 2026.

Madam President,

Excellencies,

Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to join you here today.

I travelled to New York direct from India:

Where I heard corporate leaders extol the benefits of clean energy.

Because clean energy means growth, jobs, and stronger security.

This year has made the case.

Conflict has taken an appalling human toll and choked global energy markets:

Pushing up prices for billions of people - and demonstrating that clean energy is secure energy.

Renewables frontrunners like Spain and Pakistan have been shielded from some of the worst effects of today's fossil fuel cost crisis.

Meanwhile, conflict, economic downturns and climate-related shocks have dealt a triple blow to food security.

Harvests are threatened by the climate-supercharged impacts of El Niño, and fertiliser shortages.

That means higher food prices for billions of people, and the most vulnerable staring down the barrel of more scarcity, and desperate hunger.

But this is not the story of a single year.

A world addicted to coal, oil and gas is a world of economic uncertainty, unnecessary costs, and conflict:

Southeast Asia's energy import bill is set to reach $160 billion this year.

And while we keep burning fossil fuels, our planet will keep heating, undermining peace and stability:

Hunger, displacement, and scarcity, all fuel conflict.

And the climate crisis inflames them all.

It is imperative to build resilience - protecting people, livelihoods, and economies from escalating climate disasters - at the same time as accelerating the energy transition.

Renewables are cheaper, more accessible, and faster to market. They can fortify the foundations of peace, boosting sustainable development - the best conflict prevention tool we have - while reducing emissions and supercharging economies.

No wonder governments increasingly view climate as a security issue.

Or that the global energy transition is now irreversible - as every country said at COP30.

That transition must be faster - to meet the demands of science.

Fairer - so every nation benefits.

And just - supporting countries and communities historically dependent on fossil fuel revenues.

And renewables, electrification and efficiency must be progressed together in countries and industries.

For example, major AI companies must supercharge efficiencies, as they answer the UN Secretary-General's call to power every data centre with renewables by 2030.

At COP28, countries committed:

To accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. And to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030.

Climate cooperation is key to delivering these:

Regional cooperation - through cross-border connections, power pools, and common standards. And global cooperation - convened by the United Nations - which is increasingly focused on supporting implementation.

The Global Climate Action Agenda is vital, in parallel with the negotiations:

This central part of the Paris Agreement machinery, brings together governments, business, investors, civil society and more, to turn words on paper into real projects.

And this year's incoming COP Presidency - Türkiye - has announced Action Agenda targets. Including a global electrification target of 35% by 2035.

Electrification is a golden ticket to more prosperity and stability - including for small island developing states, like the one I'm from.

In 2021, Eastern Caribbean fossil fuel imports averaged over $440 million every year.

That's over 15% of imports and 17% of the trade balance.

At the same time, COP31 negotiations [must make] progress on key issues, such as adaptation indicators and the just transition mechanism.

Finance is essential for countries to bank the vast benefits of the energy transition and build resilience.

Developed countries must honour their commitments to triple adaptation finance and deliver $300 billion per year by 2035. As part of a clear pathway to scaling up to $1.3 trillion a year.

And multilateral development banks have been called on to step up.

Credit enhancement and guarantees deliver serious bang for buck in crowding in private capital.

Particularly in [developing] countries where perceived risk increases costs.

Countries also need systemic support - not just project-by-project financing:

Including to strengthen grids. Improve policies and regulation. And build a pipeline of bankable projects.

Multilateral development banks are ideally placed to help: with concessional finance, guarantees, and policy-based lending.

I urge MDBs to embrace this role.

And here at the United Nations, we must reflect the fact that climate underpins almost every sustainable development goal, and cuts across peace, security, and more.

The UN80 process is getting the UN system to work more collectively - that brings together our climate, conflict and development work.

And the General Assembly should embed climate, climate finance, and the energy transition across its work on development, security and economic resilience.

So colleagues,

As the realities of fossil fuel dependency play out in real- time, it is increasingly clear:

That faster energy transitions are core business for governments, and core to national security strategies.

That doubling-down on renewables and resilience is in every country's interests.

And that action now is the basis of long-term peace and security around the world.

So together, let's move forward.

I thank you.

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