Why Moving Away From Fossil Fuels Is Harder Than It Looks

Santiago Bel
December 1, 2025

Replacement of coal, oil, and gas with clean sources such as wind, solar, and other alternative energy systems is not a simple task. In reality, transitioning to a renewable source of energy is a very complicated, difficult, and very expensive process. The economy is not related to global warming we need to figure out how to reuse energy before we lose a big population and our whole route.

One challenge is the sheer scale of fossil fuel dependency. Take Saudi Arabia, for example. About 40 percent of USA's GDP and 70 percent of there revenue is from oil. Mainly, a sharp drop in the world demand for fuel should stress the countries budgets substantially. In many cases Nigeria gets their revenue from their percent of oil exports. In Europe, certain countries rely heavily on coal and gas for their everyday life, and the country of Russia exports the natural gas that surrounding countries are in need of, which gives them some kind of power over those countries. The problems with this makes it harder to switch to another energy without problems in the economy.

Another major hurdle is infrastructure. Switching to renewable energy means we need a lot of money to put into alternative energy sources like solar panels, wind farms, and brand new sides to change kind of energy we use for electricity. For example, the U.S. The Inflation Reduction Act put together a fund worth 369 billion dollars over 10 years. In Europe the deal to reduce the emissions by 2030 will work very hard for achieving this but it will take years to achieve the deal because it is a very expensive dream to have.

Then there’s the issue of jobs and local economies. Across the globe people keep working in places related to gas, oil, coal, building, and their transportation. In the United States roughly 600,000 individuals work in coal, oil, and gas extraction. In regions where West Virginia, Texas, or Alberta, Canada is located, these jobs save their economy. Rushing to stop using fossil fuels can lead to joblessness and social emergencies by giving workers no way to regain employment. Governments need to think of change, and in countrys we live, in or we will.

The geopolitics of energy security adds another complexity. When a nation boosts investment in renewables, the demand for oil and gas across the globe will be committed for decades. Right now, China makes the most solar panels and batteries.  Most lithium and cobalt—the battery materials—come from Australia, Chile, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It creates dependencies that can cause bottlenecks. Moving away from fossil fuels doesn’t mean a whole nation is energy independent. It does not advocate a shift from one critical resource to another.

Economic trade-offs are also significant. Fossil fuel firms have trillions invested in structures that might not get fully paid for. If the demand drops faster than expected, oil rigs, refineries, and pipelines become “stranded” and cause losses to companies, investors, and governments. Oil & gas giants like ExxonMobil as well as Saudi Aramco are under pressure to strike a balance between investment in fossil fuels and renewable energy projects while keeping shareholders profitable.

It’s not all negative, of course. Renewable energy creates opportunities. Solar, wind, and battery industries create jobs in manufacturing, installation, and research. More than 250,000 people currently working in the solar sector, and the U.S. wind sector employs more than 120,000. Countries are those who invest in these industries earliest will enjoy benefits of competitive advantage in a global green economy. Renewable energy also reduces the risk of extremely unstable oil and gas prices. It can lower energy costs for households and protect economies from external shocks. For example, like the shock of the 2022 European gas crisis.

Despite the benefits that people will have in the long run, economics and politics are slowing down their changes. Countries can’t simply flip a switch. Supply interventions, regulatory uncertainty, trade tensions, and public opposition that slow adoption. Saudi Arabia, but oil is still a major player in the economy even if other countries are looking at solar projects as part of Vision 2030. In the US, political disagreements regarding climate policy and energy regulation cause on-again off-again progress. In Europe the push toward renewables is stronger though there challenges such as infrastructure costs and supply chain which hamper growth especially in critical minerals.

At the end of the day,  it is a balancing act. Countries must cut carbon emissions, protect the environment and future the economy, all while protecting jobs, earnings streams and combatting dependency in international trade. It requires careful decision-making over a span of decades in order to achieve trade-offs. Hasty solutions or impossible timelines run the risk of an economic shock. 

This is important because it helps us understand why the global transition to clean energy is moving faster in some countries than others. Tackling the challenge  isn’t just a technical one; it’s also an economic one in social and political realms. The energy system affects nearly every aspect of the global economy due to its massive scale. Switching it is not just changing its fuel. It is a long-term change that alters government budgets, household energy bills, jobs and geopolitical power.

In other words, it is vital to move away from fossil fuels for environmental as well as long-term economic reasons.   A country requires careful planning, large investment and a realistic understanding of the trade-offs. If managed wisely, renewable energy can deliver growth, jobs, and stability but only if the complex economic realities of this shift, which will make it so difficult, are properly managed.