{"id":81935,"date":"2026-03-06T11:16:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=81935"},"modified":"2026-03-06T13:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T12:40:57","slug":"war-renewables-security-imperative-energy-mena-west-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/81935\/war-renewables-security-imperative-energy-mena-west-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"You can\u2019t blow up the sun: 4 reasons renewables are a security imperative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n

\"Solar
Greenpeace Luxembourg activists call on the Luxembourg Minister of the Economy to demand the promotion of renewable energies.
\u00a9 Joshua Marx \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

I am living through my fourth war in my four decades on this planet.<\/p>\n\n

Beyond the raw, immediate impact my family and I in Lebanon, and countless others are experiencing on the ground, I am watching a deeper crisis unfold at the global level.<\/p>\n\n

Headlines are increasingly dominated by soaring oil and gas prices<\/a> and market volatility<\/a>. When the global economy is dependent on a centralised, combustible resource, missiles do more than just cut off power or disrupt shipping. They rock the very foundation of global stability.<\/p>\n\n

\n

When the global economy is dependent on a centralised, combustible resource, missiles do more than just cut off power or disrupt shipping. They rock the very foundation of global stability.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

The current crisis is a tragic, undeniable argument for why we must accelerate the transition to Renewable Energy. <\/p>\n\n

Renewables for resilience, independence and defence<\/h2>\n\n
\"Action
Activists unfurled a banner outside the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture reading \u201cOur Sun. Our Power. Our Future.\u201d
\u00a9 Boris Dimitrov \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

This isn’t just about carbon emissions or climate targets. It\u2019s about resilience, security, and survival.<\/p>\n\n

Here is why a decentralised, renewable-led transition is a path toward vital protection and economic security:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. Strengthening the grid:<\/strong> You cannot “blow up” the sun. It is incredibly difficult to disable a decentralised network of millions of rooftop solar panels. Distributed energy is inherently more resilient to sabotage than a handful of massive, vulnerable thermal plants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Ending energy dependency: <\/strong>Conflict brings blockades and supply chain collapses. A country that produces its own power from its own sun and wind cannot be held hostage by disrupted shipping lanes or volatile oil markets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Economic sovereignty: <\/strong>As prices soar, nations relying on imported fuels face crippling inflation. Transitioning to local renewables acts as a “hedge” against war driven shocks, keeping costs predictable for families when they are most vulnerable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Decentralisation as defence:<\/strong> By removing “single points of failure”, we ensure that hospitals, schools, and homes can maintain power even if the national grid is compromised.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    Not just energy goal but security imperative<\/h2>\n\n

    We\u2019ve long advocated for energy sovereignty<\/a>, but the current situation proves this isn’t a “green” luxury. It is a strategic necessity.<\/p>\n\n

    \"Break
    People formed a human banner in Casablanca, Morocco with the message “Break Free – go solar.”
    \u00a9 Azeddine Tedjini \/ Medina Street \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

    The transition to renewables is often framed as a climate goal<\/a>. But in a region where stability is fragile, it is also a security imperative<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

    We need to build energy systems that are as resilient as the people who rely on them. Renewables are the best (and much needed) way to make that happen. <\/p>\n\n

    \"Climate
    Climate Justice Camp in Lebanon (August 2023) led by climate groups across Southwest Asia.
    \u00a9 Pamela EA \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

    Julien Jreissati is Programme Director at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, based in Lebanon.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPolluters Pay Pact\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Sign the pact, record your story. Join the global movement to make polluters pay.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t \n Join the movement\n <\/a>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When the global economy is dependent on a centralised, combustible resource, missiles do more than just cut off power or disrupt shipping. They rock the very foundation of global stability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":81953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,73],"tags":[90,65,87],"p4-page-type":[59],"class_list":["post-81935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","category-social-and-economic-systems","tag-peace","tag-energy-revolution","tag-oil","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81935"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81962,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81935\/revisions\/81962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81935"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=81935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}