Zero: The Climate Race Here's Why: The Iran war resets the energy transition
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Mar 30, 2026 
Akshat Rathi, senior climate reporter who tracks tactics and tech for zero emissions, explains how the Iran war is reshaping energy choices. He explores oil market shocks, why energy security boosts homegrown solar and wind, and whether renewables plus storage and other low-carbon options can replace fossil reliability. He also maps where clean-speed adoption may accelerate globally.
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Energy Security Replaces Emissions As The Primary Driver
- The Iran war is accelerating the shift from emissions-focused debate to energy security as the core driver for renewables.
- Akshat Rathi says since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, countries view domestic solar and wind as security assets, changing policy priorities.
Batteries Make Intermittent Renewables Reliable Enough
- Renewables alone can't fully replace fossil fuels, but pairing solar and wind with batteries, nuclear and geothermal can substantially reduce fossil dependence.
- Akshat highlights steep battery cost declines as the key to solving intermittency concerns.
1970s Oil Shocks Sparked A Clean Energy Push
- Historical precedent: the 1973 and 1979 oil shocks pushed importing countries into nuclear, solar research, and early batteries.
- Akshat notes that those shocks led to a marked decline in oil's share of global energy over the following decade.