Energy Independence in Focus
In addition to increased interest in and demand for electric vehicles, the Middle East War has also brought energy independence into sharp relief as a national security issue for many countries.
Bloomberg and the New York Times have each recently highlighted the surging investments in renewable energy globally, especially in China which is now the largest supplier of wind turbines in the world.
Bloomberg notes (June 16, 2026): “History shows that successive severe shocks tend to drive profound changes to the global energy mix. The scale of the disruption to oil and gas supplies caused by the war in the Middle East is unprecedented, and comes just fur years after another crisis precipitated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This time the shift is likely to be away from fossil fuels and internal combustion engines, and toward renewables and electric devices, as governments and consumers reckon with their vulnerability to volatile prices in an insecure world.”
The New York Times reports that in April 2026, wind and solar energy generated more electricity globally than gas for the first time ever (link to article). Although the US has eliminated most federal policy incentives for renewable energy development, the rest of the world is doubling down.
Extrapolating the risks around energy independence to the corporate level, we believe insurers and lenders will increase the focus on firm-level access to adequate sources of affordable energy.