Blog: Energy in Tarrif-ic and Tarrif-ying Times

Energy in Tarrif-ic and Tarrif-ying Times

The Anthropocene (our current age) doesn’t ask for permission. It simply arrives—chaotic, complex, and nonlinear. On the other hand, no-one can deny the drive for human development.

But why do we find it so hard to make time and space for better-quality conversations and more effective collaborations on Energy for people AND planet?  And by Energy - I mean what drives our lives and societies - not any specific resource or technology.

Reality bites

Policy flip-flops and political pendulum swings result in lock-in rather than moving humanity forward.

There is no one-size-fits-all pathway to progress. Energy transitions are not simple, quick and easy supply side, technology swaps. The sheer scale and scope of world energy systems is misunderstood. Energy transitions are complex, non-linear and socially messy processes. Net zero is an essential milestone, but not the destination.

Meeting growing demand for power whilst engaging with the social dimensions of energy - how people live, move, eat, heat, cool, and work, has been the biggest blind-spot in all net zero energy transition debates.

Real transformation lies in how and why energy is used. We are all still learning how to meet demand and make energy transitions happen in different places. Our humanising energy vision is not a call to slow down, but a call to wise up.

How we got here, won’t get us to where we need to be

Sustainable human development, as we’ve experienced, imagined, and practiced so far, is no longer fit for purpose going forward. Balancing energy security, affordability and sustainability is essential. When we pioneered the World Energy Trilemma approach twenty years ago, our aim was simple - to connect the dots - and help societies avoid swinging from one crisis to the next.

But we all know, critique is not a strategy. Nor is any single vision—no matter how futuristic, patriotic, or justice-seeking.

We need to find our courage not just to disrupt or defend, but to convene across differences and build collaboration across geographies and generations.

At the World Energy Council, we have worked to open the middle ground for over a century—a tough, often thankless and taken-for-granted space—between innovation and inclusion, between short-term energy security and long-term resilience and sustainability.

We listen deeply to geographical and cultural diversity in energy—ranging from communities who live with energy poverty to global industries managing trillion-dollar investments in energy transitions. We walk-the-talk with governments balancing political fragility, climate and digital ambitions, and social engagement.

Why systems matter more than polarising positions

This isn’t consensus-building. It’s sense-making. We are shaping a new energy narrative and creating a safe space for diverse visions and models of progress to coexist and learn together.

Moving Grand Transitions forward and making them work together—energy, digital code, and global finance—cannot be done by unleashing innovation or through trade talks alone. These are interdependent ecosystems of influence and inertia, on which all connected and modern energy societies depend, whether we want to or not.

Break throughs on better energy futures involve co-creating alternative systems that are locally and regionally rooted, culturally relevant, and intergenerationally fair.

Questions for leaders today

To those racing ahead with AI and automation: pause to consider who is left behind, at risk of being leapfrogged and unable to leapfrog.

To those defending sovereignty through fossil fuel resilience: ask if energy independence can also mean interdependence.

To emerging and developing economies demanding equity, justice and resilience: keep demanding. And also lead.

The World Energy Council community is actively engaging with, listening to and finding ways to pull together different needs, interests and perspectives.

Global energy transitions are a dynamic dance of multiple and diverse pathways. Energy transitions are NOT a war to win, but a future to shape together.

Energy is a story in which we are all the active authors—not the heroes or villains. The quest is to act local and think global, with minds wide open and hands and futures linked.

Energy is the ultimate connector in restoring harmony between Peoples and Planet. This is the work of our lifetimes. It is not a choice between universalism or fragmentation. Its starts with understanding the implications of regional diversity and continues with new guiding principles—futurity, circularity, and flourishing.

Humanising energy is a better storytelling genre for any virtual and every real future we can imagine.