“Existing frameworks are insufficient.”
Director of the European Climate and Energy Policy Center, Dr. Lena Hoffmann, discusses renewable energy transitions, geopolitical dependencies, and the interplay between climate policy and national security.
Dr. Lena Hoffmann is Director at the European Climate and Energy Policy Center (ECEPC), Berlin.
Observer Voices: How has the climate transition reshaped energy security considerations in 2022?
Lena Hoffmann: Accelerating renewable deployment is no longer just an environmental imperative—it’s a strategic necessity. Nations dependent on imported fossil fuels are increasingly exposed to price volatility and supply disruptions.
The shift toward solar, wind and green hydrogen aims to diversify energy sources while reducing carbon emissions, but it also introduces new dependencies, such as critical minerals for batteries and advanced grid infrastructure.
Observer Voices: What geopolitical risks arise from these new dependencies?
Lena Hoffmann: Control over rare earths, lithium, cobalt and high-capacity storage technology has become a geopolitical flashpoint. Countries that dominate extraction, processing or technological innovation hold disproportionate leverage.
We’ve seen early signs of competitive investment strategies, export restrictions and strategic partnerships mirroring patterns previously observed in oil markets, now applied to renewables and energy storage.
Observer Voices: Are current international frameworks adequate to manage these risks?
Lena Hoffmann: Existing frameworks are insufficient. Multilateral energy governance largely reflects legacy fossil-fuel structures. Renewable-specific mechanisms are fragmented, reactive and lack enforcement power.
Future resilience will require coordinated supply chain planning, transparency in critical material flows, and strategic investment in domestic manufacturing capacities.
Observer Voices: What role do national policies play in ensuring a smooth energy transition?
Lena Hoffmann: National policy remains decisive. Governments must balance ambitious decarbonization goals with industrial competitiveness and social acceptance. Incentives for domestic clean tech, workforce retraining and cross-border energy integration will define which states emerge as leaders in the low-carbon economy.
Observer Voices: Looking forward, what single strategic decision will most shape the global energy transition over the next decade?
Lena Hoffmann: The decisive action will be whether leading states commit to large-scale, coordinated investment in renewable infrastructure and critical material processing. States that act decisively will reduce exposure to energy shocks, attract private capital, and gain geopolitical leverage in the emerging clean energy order.
Observer Vox 