16 independent energy security experts, including Jonathan Barth, Chair of the Geostrategic Europe Taskforce and two other taskforce members including Shahin Vallee (DGAP) and Alberic Mongrenier (European Initiative for Energy Security) have written to Dr Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), urging a stronger response to the ongoing global oil and gas crisis. Signed by former military chiefs, academics and geopolitical experts, the letter says accelerating the transition to clean, safe, affordable energy systems is a security imperative. It calls on the IEA to provide guidance to governments on how to reduce exposure to volatile oil and gas markets, as it did to the EU immediately after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The letter was sent to the IEA on 10 April 2026. Key messages include:

• Recent escalations in the Gulf have exposed the dangers of dependence on oil and gas. Too much of the global economy relies on fuels transported through geopolitically contested chokepoints. The ongoing supply disruption has triggered energy shortages, fossilflation and food insecurity around the world.

• The IEA’s initial response has not matched the scale of the crisis. Its coordinated release of oil reserves and advice on measures to save fuel are temporary fixes that do little to shield consumers from future shocks. Structural responses are needed.

• Clean energy can cut household energy costs today and boost resilience to geopolitical risk. Homegrown renewables, efficiency and electrification reduce import dependence and keep bills low and predictable for consumers. Governments urgently need advice on how to accelerate the transition to clean, safe, affordable energy systems.

• The IEA’s planned coordination with the World Bank and IMF must help get finance flowing towards immediate, lasting solutions to the crisis.