Too Fast, Too Late? How Fast Transition to Renewable Energy May Hinder Climate Action?

15th INTERNATIONAL 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE, İstanbul, Türkiye, 14 - 16 Mayıs 2025, (Özet Bildiri)

As the global transition to renewable energy

accelerates, the emphasis on sustainability and low-cost

energy system design appears to be sidelining the longterm

imperative of energy security.

This study argues that the rapid and unplanned

expansion of renewable energy, in the absence of

adequate physical infrastructure and regulatory

frameworks, may lead to energy security challenges.

Such challenges risk eroding public trust in renewable

energy, arguably the most critical component in the

fight against climate change. A loss of public confidence,

in turn, threatens to undermine the goal of a carbonneutral

planet and hinder the broader transition to a

circular economy.

While roadmaps for a rapid energy transition do exist,

tackling the climate crisis effectively requires more than

top-down policies or technological fixes; it demands a

firm and collective commitment across all segments of

society. In this context, the study examines the paradox

that an overly rapid and imprudent transition may,

paradoxically, slow down the very process it seeks to

accelerate by diminishing public trust.

The study aims to develop a political economy

framework that critically interrogates policy

processes driven by inflated positive public perception

and awareness of renewable energy. Within this

framework, a critical comparison is conducted between

the innovation tools proposed by the International

Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as part of its

roadmap for accelerated transition and existing policy

instruments. Ultimately, the study emphasises the risk

that “greenwashing” through renewable energy could

derail genuine climate action.