18 Dec 2025

Creative Destruction: The Nobel prize winning model central to the energy transition

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics highlights how continuous innovation and creative destruction underpin long-term economic growth, providing a powerful lens for understanding today’s global energy transition.

In this article published 3 November 2025,  Carlota Garcia-Manas and Melanie Baker, address the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Prizes in Economics. The work of awarded economists Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt argues that the global shift to a net-zero economy is one of the most ambitious acts of creative destruction in modern history. Referring to a cycle of innovation where new technologies, goods, firms and ways of working replace old ones, creative destruction provides a powerful lens for understanding the energy transition:

The article outlines:

  • The importance of innovation-driven growth and how the transition from fossil fuels to a net‑zero economy exemplifies creative destruction,
  • The need for strong institutional frameworks, including consistent policy signals, infrastructure investment, carbon pricing, and support for affected sectors,
  • And what this might mean for investors hoping to secure long-term resilience.

Related Content

Blog | 13 May 2026

Governing for energy insecurity: the trilemma got tougher

As if the energy trilemma – transition, affordability and security – were not hard enough; 2026 has made the situation so much more complex. For boards, oversight of decarbonisation, energy costs, geopolitics, supply chain complications and the availability/pricing of fuel just got tougher. Governing for energy security is a challenge in every sector; but there is evidence that the prospects for investment look promising.

External Link
Report | 30 Jul 2025

Energy Transitions Commission: Power Systems Transformation Report

The Energy Transitions Commission report, Power Systems Transformation: Delivering Competitive, Resilient Electricity in High-Renewable Systems sets out the case for how wind and solar generation can reliably deliver electricity at costs comparable to or lower than current fossil fuel-based power systems in most parts of the world. A useful read for boards looking to understand the possibilities of the global energy transition.

blue lights
External Link