U.S. Energy Chief Urges IEA to Drop Climate Focus

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday urged the International Energy Agency (IEA) to abandon its focus on climate change and return to its founding mission of energy security.

Speaking at an IEA ministerial meeting in Paris on February 18, 2026, Wright argued that the agency should prioritise safeguarding global energy supplies. The IEA was originally established to coordinate responses to major supply disruptions following the 1973 oil crisis.

“The IEA was created to focus on energy security,” Wright said. “That mission is beyond critical. We need to keep the agency’s focus on this life-changing, world-changing objective.”

Wright reiterated earlier warnings that the United States could reconsider its participation in the Paris-based organisation unless operational reforms were made. He also called on member nations to support shifting the agency away from climate-related work.

“We need to push the IEA to drop the climate. That’s political stuff,” Wright said, adding that the organisation had been influenced by what he described as a “climate cult” promoting “energy subtraction.”

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol rejected the criticism, emphasising that the agency remains neutral and evidence-based.

“We are a nonpolitical organisation. We are data-driven,” Birol said.

The IEA regularly publishes reports on global oil demand and supply, along with its annual World Energy Outlook, which includes analysis of renewable energy trends such as solar and wind power.

Wright nevertheless praised Birol for restoring an outlook scenario assessing oil and gas demand growth, which had been removed from IEA reports in 2020.

In a separate interview with AFP, Wright said the IEA had taken “first steps” toward reform but still had “a long way to go.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has adopted a sharply different stance on climate policy, withdrawing the United States from key international climate commitments and rolling back domestic regulatory frameworks. Wright echoed that position, questioning the urgency of climate concerns.

“Nothing in the climate data supports the claim of catastrophic damage today,” he said.

However, European climate authorities report that the past three years were the hottest on record globally, citing rising greenhouse gas emissions as the primary driver. Scientists continue to warn of intensifying heatwaves, floods, storms, droughts, and wildfires linked to global warming.

Not all member nations aligned with Wright’s views. British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the United Kingdom would contribute an additional £12 million ($16 million) to the IEA’s Clean Energy Transitions Programme.

“The age of electricity is unstoppable,” Miliband said, arguing that clean energy represents the most secure and affordable path to meeting rising global demand.

He also praised the IEA’s leadership, stating that the agency treats all member countries “equally and fairly.”