A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program

AI Energy Demand Outpaces Its Climate Solutions (Eco-Business)

A new International Energy Agency report finds that AI’s significant promise in improving energy efficiency and grid reliability may not match the energy sector’s inability to keep pace with the explosive growth of AI’s physical infrastructure.

The infrastructure powering artificial intelligence (AI) has become both a political flashpoint and a signal for strategic warfare with significant military, geopolitical, and international security implications. Climate change is a “threat multiplier” that exacerbates fragility. The collision of these two forces is certain to create immediate and long-term impacts. AI’s environmental footprint risks externalizing environmental costs onto poorer countries– and the communities within them–that supply critical minerals, water resources, and host energy-intensive infrastructure, deepening ecological, economic, and social inequalities. Over the long run, it may also undermine long-term climate resilience and global stability  

When armed groups began threatening a community in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that had recently gained access to solar-powered electricity, something unexpected happened. Rather than flee, residents rushed to protect their mini-grid. They put themselves at risk to keep the lights on.

The US–Israeli war launched against Iran in 2026 may be remembered as the moment fossil-fuel dependence became more than a mere abstraction for the Global South. Brent crude quickly surged past $100 a barrel. Iran militarized the Strait of Hormuz (through which 20 million barrels a day, or a fifth of global oil consumption, normally flow) and retaliated against regional energy infrastructure. Qatar declared force majeure on its liquefied natural gas exports after Iranian drone attacks. Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery shut down.

A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program 

Energy Fallout from Iran War Signals a Global Wake-Up Call for Renewable Energy (Associated Press) 

Fighting in Iran has effectively halted oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint carrying roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG — triggering an energy shock that is exposing the deep vulnerabilities of fossil fuel-dependent economies. Asia has been hit hardest, while Europe and Africa face mounting pressure from rising fuel costs and inflation. The crisis has sharpened debate over the uneven global energy transition. China’s substantial renewable buildout has provided meaningful insulation from the shock, while countries like Japan and India — which prioritized fossil fuel diversification after past crises — find themselves more exposed. Vietnam’s solar capacity is saving hundreds of millions in projected import costs. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has shuttered universities to conserve electricity, and India faces a cooking gas shortage. With more than 90% of new renewable projects now cost-competitive with fossil fuels, experts argue the strategic case for domestic clean energy has never been clearer.  

Last fall, I travelled back to my hometown in rural Wen’an County, Hebei Province, and was surprised to find my aunt Lu had installed 12 solar panels on the roof of her house. Because I am a low-carbon policy wonk at a Beijing consultancy, I peppered her with energy questions as we admired the rooftop panels. “So, where does the electricity go? To your own appliances, an aggregator, or the grid company? Are you paid for renting out the roof or for selling the electricity?”

A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program

Reconciling Mineral Demand in Greenland with Arctic Realities (Yale e360)

President Donals Trump’s recent push to access Greenland’s critical minerals faces severe logistical and environmental challenges. While the island possesses 25 of the 60 minerals in high demand in Washington, Greenland has fewer than 100 miles of roads, a tiny labor force, 16 small ports, and inconsistent electricity. Its unique geography and harsh conditions—including minus 40°F temperatures, high winds that ground helicopters, and pack ice which hinders ships—will require potentially costly new extraction technologies. (Indeed, present conditions already make extraction five to ten times more expensive than in temperate regions.

Ford’s CEO was so impressed by the Xiaomi SU7 that he now uses it as his daily driver. The Chinese-made electric vehicle (EV) has a 345-mile driving range on a single charge and costs just $30,000. There is nothing like it in the U.S.