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The Al-Attiyah Foundation, in its latest sustainability research paper, has outlined how geoeconomic fragmentation is no longer a future risk but a defining feature of the renewable energy transition. Titled ‘Geoeconomic Fragmentation: Risks to Renewable Energy Supply Chains’, the paper examines how trade tensions, export controls, supply-chain concentration, and regulatory divergence are reshaping the economics of renewables across minerals, manufacturing, finance and infrastructure. The Al-Attiyah Foundation noted that despite clean energy investment surging to record levels, the foundations of the global energy transition are coming under increasing strain. Supply chains, capital flows and critical technologies are no longer governed by efficiency alone, but by geopolitical rivalry and strategic competition, it also pointed out. The report highlights the growing concentration of critical mineral supply chains. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the top three refining countries now account for 86% of global refining capacity for energy-related minerals, while China dominates the refining of 19 out of 20 key transition minerals and controls more than 90% of global rare-earth separation capacity. The paper notes that an IEA stress test found that removing a single major supplier would leave insufficient capacity to meet projected 2035 demand for battery metals and rare earth elements. These vulnerabilities are increasingly feeding into project costs. Offshore wind costs have risen by 30–40% since 2022, while higher freight costs, tighter credit conditions and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have added new pressure across renewable supply chains. The report finds that borrowing costs for utility-scale solar projects in emerging markets remain more than twice those in advanced economies, slowing deployment precisely where future energy demand is expected to grow fastest. At the same time, global investment in clean energy continues to accelerate. The IEA estimates that global energy investment surpassed a record $3.3tn in 2025, with $2.2tn directed toward renewables, grids, storage and other clean technologies, which is double the level of fossil-fuel investment. Solar alone is expected to attract approximately $450bn in 2026. The paper also notes that renewable energy overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity generation in 2025, marking a historic milestone in the global transition. However, despite this momentum, the IEA expects renewable capacity to double rather than triple by 2030 due to persistent bottlenecks in grids, permitting and finance. For the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the findings are particularly significant. The region remains central to global energy markets while simultaneously expanding large-scale solar, wind and green hydrogen projects. Yet, execution capacity (not procurement or target-setting) has become the primary constraint on delivery, the paper noted. Recent Gulf disruptions have further exposed the vulnerability of interconnected energy and shipping systems, increasing costs across commodities used in renewable manufacturing, it stated. A rapidly expanding compliance also burdens energy firms. Measures such as the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, sustainability disclosure standards and AI governance rules are creating overlapping obligations that are raising costs and increasing operational complexity across global supply chains. Despite these pressures, the report concludes that the long-term strategic case for renewables continues to strengthen. Clean energy is increasingly viewed not only as a climate imperative, but as a cornerstone of energy security and economic resilience in an increasingly fragmented global system.To read ‘Geoeconomic Fragmentation: Risks to Renewable Energy Supply Chains’ and explore the Al-Attiyah Foundation’s Sustainability Research Series, visit abhafoundation.org.  

The Al-Attiyah Foundation was a ‘Knowledge Partner’ at the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Qatar 2025, held on at Georgetown University in Qatar Saturday.Organised under YOUNGO, the youth constituency of the UNFCCC, the event gathered students, activists, and experts to channel youth-driven messages into the COP climate process.As part of its contribution, Al-Attiyah Foundation hosted a high-level panel discussion that explored the complex and urgent transition facing energy-producing nations.The session was attended by young delegates from across Qatar and beyond, and featured dynamic exchanges between experts from industry, academia, and policymaking.The distinguished panel included Adil Mohammad, Deputy CEO of MBK-Global; Michael Wood, Partner, Mena EY Sustainability; and Dr Marcello Contestabile, Chief Economist at QEERI.Together, they addressed pressing issues such as the balance between energy security and climate goals, the role of natural gas as a transition fuel, and the opportunities presented by emerging technologies including carbon capture, green hydrogen, and energy storage solutions.The discussion also examined the financing and policy frameworks needed to accelerate renewable energy deployment, with a particular focus on how sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises can lead the way in diversification.Importantly, the panel emphasised the role of youth in driving innovation, awareness, and advocacy for a just and ambitious energy transition.The session drew on Qatar’s unique position as a global leader in LNG production and its growing investments in renewable energy, situating the Mena region at the heart of global climate and energy debates.The conversation underscored both the opportunities and challenges for countries reliant on fossil fuel revenues as they seek to align with the Paris Agreement and the global net-zero agenda.Through the event, the Al-Attiyah Foundation reaffirmed its role as a bridge between policymakers, industry leaders, and the next generation, highlighting the importance of youth voices in shaping pragmatic yet ambitious pathways to sustainability.The outcomes of the session will contribute to the official LCOY Qatar 2025 statement, ensuring that the perspectives of young people in the region are heard on the global stage.