The global energy landscape entering 2026 has been shaped less by an anticipated debate over affordability and more by the rapid escalation of geopolitical uncertainty. While energy costs and access remain central, particularly in a US election year, events across multiple regions have fundamentally refocused global priorities. From a successful US intervention in Venezuela to the ongoing war in the Middle East, energy security concerns have once again moved decisively to the forefront of global decision-making.

Insights from this year’s Atlantic Council Global Energy Agenda survey (full results and analysis are forthcoming) underscore that this shift was already underway before recent crises intensified. Even prior to the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, geopolitical tensions were identified as the dominant force shaping energy systems, with roughly half of respondents citing conflict as the single greatest driver of disruption in 2025. Looking ahead, respondents overwhelmingly expect geopolitical rivalry and insufficient infrastructure investment to define risks to the energy system through the end of the decade.

At the same time, longer-term dynamics continue to evolve beneath the surface of immediate crises. Expectations around the persistence of fossil fuels, the gradual and uneven path to net-zero emissions, and the growing role of emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence—highlight a system continually evolving through a delicate balance of current geopolitical pressures and the policy and business decisions shaping an energy future that is more stable, affordable, and sustainable.

It is against this complex and rapidly shifting backdrop that the Atlantic Council presents its sixth Global Energy Agenda, combining insights from global leaders with analysis from our most comprehensive survey to date.

We’re pleased to share this year’s leadership insights, starting with that of Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, and Amy Brachio, the CEO of Carbon Measures, with many more to follow in the coming weeks.

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Landon Derentz is senior director at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center; Christine Suh is the managing editor for the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center; and Paul Kielstra is a freelance editor, analyst, and writer based outside of London.

The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.

Image: A drone view of oil storage containers and facilities of the TotalEnergies refinery in the Leuna Chemical Complex, in Leuna, Germany, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse