Trump’s Iran War Sparks Unexpected Climate Shift, Says California Governor

The U.S.–Israel war against Iran, which began in February, has repeatedly snarled the Strait of Hormuz—normally a conduit for about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports. The resulting supply shock pushed crude prices near $100 per barrel and prompted many nations to curb oil and gas consumption while accelerating investment in solar, wind and battery storage. Carbon Brief estimates that global fossil-fuel emissions will fall by roughly 0.5 percent this year because of the crisis, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) now expects the peak in oil consumption to arrive this year rather than the previously projected 2029.

Mother Jones

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that over-dependence on fossil fuels carries a “very high price.” Panama’s environment minister Juan Carlos Navarro cautioned that all newly produced oil will be burned unless consumption is capped. Global Solar Council chief Sonia Dunlop noted massive spikes in demand for solar panels and battery storage across multiple regions.

Mother Jones

• Carbon Brief: global emissions down ~0.5 % this year.

Mother Jones

• IEA: oil-consumption peak shifted to 2024 (instead of 2029).

Mother Jones

• Renewable investment now exceeds fossil-fuel investment; most new grid capacity is clean.

Mother Jones

• One-in-four new cars sold globally is electric; the U.S. remains an exception.

Mother Jones

• Exxon forecasts global oil use at 105 million barrels per day in 2050, up from 100 million the previous year.

Mother Jones

• Eight of the world’s largest oil firms earned more than $90 billion in the first three months of the war.

Mother Jones

• “The price of solar has come down so quickly that there are now 100,000 solar panels installed every day in Africa,” noted former Vice President Al Gore.

Mother Jones

• “He’s woken the world up to how vulnerable we are to petro-dictatorships, how vulnerable we are to disruptions in the Middle East,” — Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, due to the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran

Mother Jones

• “Trump’s illegal attack on Iran may hasten clean energy in some countries, but he has gutted green tech in the United States and set us back decades,” — Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University

Mother Jones

• “All of the oil that is produced will be burned—if they produce more, more will be used,” — Juan Carlos Navarro, environment minister of Panama

Mother Jones

• “Demand has massively spiked for solar and for battery storage,” — Sonia Dunlop, chief executive of the Global Solar Council

Mother Jones

• “The price of solar has come down so quickly that there are now 100,000 solar panels installed every day in Africa,” — Al Gore, the former US vice-president

Mother Jones