Renewables Reframe Europe’s Security and Prosperity, Says UN Climate Chief

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell told a Brussels audience that fossil-fuel dependence undermines national security and sovereignty, raising costs and vulnerability to geopolitics, while renewable energy offers cheaper, safer, and more resilient growth that creates jobs. He highlighted Europe’s €420 billion fossil-fuel costs in 2024 and last summer’s €43 billion in climate losses, noted that over $2 trillion has been invested in clean energy, and argued renewables’ rise—overtaking coal as the world’s top electricity source—gives Europe a path to secure energy, lower bills, and stronger growth through continued climate leadership and cooperations ahead of COP timelines.