In 2026, the global energy market will continue its pivot back toward reliability over rapid transition, as oil and gas exploration rises and decommissioning slows to meet resurgent demand.

The U.S. will fast-track next-generation nuclear projects while expanding oil and gas output to stabilize an overstressed grid increasingly burdened by the explosive energy consumption of AI-driven data centers. Across the Atlantic, the EU will struggle with even higher power costs and delayed renewable integration.

As electricity demand soars, AI will become the essential management tool, optimizing generation, forecasting consumption, and improving efficiency to keep power systems and economies running.

A Regulatory Trade War Erupts Over ESG Rules

In 2026, a regulatory showdown will erupt between Washington and Brussels as the U.S. administration pushes back against Europe’s attempt to globalize ESG compliance through CSRD and CSDDD. If the EPA walks back its CO₂ endangerment finding, which it’s likely to do, U.S. policymakers will reject EU sustainability mandates as unfair trade barriers, reigniting transatlantic tensions and setting off a new wave of disputes over climate, reporting, and economic sovereignty. Amid the divide, leading companies will increasingly choose to self-report on sustainability and supply chain metrics to maintain credibility with global investors and customers while navigating conflicting regulatory regimes.

Supply Chains Become the New Defense Frontier

In 2026, global supply chains will accelerate into being used as instruments of national strategy as defense spending surges and China maintains dominance in rare earths, aluminum, and other critical commodities. The U.S. and EU will weaponize semiconductor policy, tightening export controls and fast-tracking domestic and allied production of chips, batteries, and critical materials. Transparency and traceability will become security imperatives, marking the convergence of industrial policy, technology, energy, and defense into a single competitive arena.