As international leaders, with notable exceptions, gather in Brazil for COP30, the world is at a turning point in global energy policies.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright summed it up well when he said that energy should make societies richer by driving economic growth, rather than making them poorer, through high prices.
In spite of the tensions in today’s energy debates, global leaders need to re-establish a common ground around energy and climate and recognize that the friction does not in fact represent a choice between decarbonization or affordability—we can still strive for both. This becomes all the more important in light of the rapidly growing demand for energy—and especially of electricity—to meet society’s needs, before even considering the rising power demand of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers.
Reframing the energy and emission conversation
Finding this common ground again means moving on from the term “net zero.” The court of public opinion has made up its mind: net zero is now more associated with higher energy costs than delivering a desirable goal.
And the target is too absolute. The final 10 percent of the journey to net zero could be as expensive as the first 90 percent, which cannot be a sensible use of limited resources. Achieving 90 percent would still be an extraordinary achievement, and any target needs to be credible to be accepted, with a clear pathway for delivering it.
The old talk of an energy trilemma—balancing security, affordability and decarbonization—is evolving. The conversation now also needs to include sovereignty—those resources within a country’s jurisdiction—and abundance—that which is most abundant should be more affordable. Just as this has led the United States to a policy focused on its vast gas resources, in the United Kingdom and Europe more generally, it means a continuing role for the most affordable renewables.
A new approach to energy and climate needs to start with a set of clear principles, which determines priorities, values and what leaders are looking to achieve.
These can be summarized as follows:
- Global leaders should prioritize secure and sovereign sources of energy to reduce dependence on others.
- Lawmakers should craft energy policy to help drive economic growth, reduce electricity bills, and make countries more competitive.
- Industry leaders should champion new technologies that address these challenges.
- Public and private actors should ensure that the transition happens in a way that fairly delivers more choice to consumers and empowers them to be part of the solution.
Celebrating and building on achievements
The conversation should also champion what has already been achieved. The UK, for example, in 2022 became the first major economy to reduce its carbon emissions by half (compared to 1990 levels) while still growing the economy by 80 percent; the first major economy to end coal-powered generation; and the country that led the creation of a new global energy industry—offshore wind—in little more than a decade.
These achievements resonate with the public. Polling shows over 60 percent of the public support such policies—far and away the most popular policies of the last Conservative Government. However, it is also clear that people want to secure these achievements in a way that is much more affordable.
Accomplishing this goal has to start from facts—and the facts are promising. Many countries, including some of largest like Brazil and Kenya, get well over 80 to 90 percent of their power from clean resources. Solar generation doubled in the past three years, with China installing more solar power in one month this year than the United States did in the whole of the 2024. And most of the European countries that have lower energy prices than the UK use more renewables. These facts contradict the argument that there is no need for countries like the UK to reduce its emissions if other countries aren’t doing anything—because many are.
Rather than discarding what has been successful, leaders need to look at how energy systems should evolve in a new era and become more affordable.
Taking time to enact common sense policies
It is clear now that gas will have a long-term role to play in the energy transition in the UK and elsewhere. It thus does not make sense, as US President Donald Trump has reminded us, to prematurely close the North Sea with all the job losses that would entail. If gas is to be part of the mix, then it makes sense to maximize the recoveries from the UK’s own offshore fields.
A clean, affordable future also means more nuclear, despite setbacks. For a nation that led the world in civil nuclear power, the UK for one seems to have lost its way. Hinkley Point C, initially promised for 2018, will be fifteen years late and significantly over budget. The United States has had similar experiences. That does not mean nuclear isn’t worth the investment, but that leaders need to learn how to build it better and faster. It means more standardization of design and a regulatory approach that learns more actively from other countries.
COP30: A chance to reset global thinking on energy and climate
These considerations point back to what can be done at COP30. The news from the conference is likely to be disappointing, but it gives those leaders attending the chance to set out a new way of thinking, which shows that they don’t need to choose between energy security, decarbonization, and keeping bills low. Investors need clarity and long-term thinking. We need to see more of that in evidence over the coming days.
Charles Hendry is a distinguished fellow at the Global Energy Center.
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The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.
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