Changing world order and the green transition: experiences from Oman and Estonia

Roundtable Discussion

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February 11, 2026
11:00–13:00 (Estonia) / 13:00–15:00 (Oman)
Online format, and please note that the roundtable will not be recorded. The Chatham House Rule applies.
https://ut-ee.zoom.us/j/92960259444?pwd=BW2QO3jPUEdw4kAbOXMZNh4WptWlmr.1

Abstract:
Climate change and the green transition have become essential global priorities and key domains for international cooperation. However, the implementation of these goals increasingly intersects with questions of geopolitics, economic security, and technological sovereignty. While the shift toward green energy can reduce dependence on imported or domestically extracted fossil fuels, it simultaneously creates new vulnerabilities through reliance on imported technologies, critical raw materials, and rare earth minerals required for the green transition. These technological dependencies can become instruments of political and economic leverage in global competition, where environmental policy and industrial transformation are used to advance national or bloc-level interests.

The roundtable discussion addresses the question of how climate agendas can be leveraged to serve broader political and economic objectives within the evolving world order. This question will be explored through three key discussion points:

1. How is the changing world order connected to the green transition?
2. Can green energy become a new source of economic and political insecurity?
3. How can policymakers balance commitments to a sustainable and green transition with the need to maintain economic security and strategic autonomy?

The roundtable brings together diverse regional perspectives and reflections, each addressing the question of economic security in its own way, yet all placing the green transition and energy security at the centre of their policy discussions. The session will include contributions from the Middle East (Oman) and the Nordic region (Estonia).

Roundtable speakers:

• HH Dr. Adham bin Turki Al Said (Assistant Professor of Economics at the College of Economics and Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman)
• Kristi Klaas (the Deputy Secretary General at the Ministry of Climate of the Republic of Estonia)
• Dr. Aisha Al-Sarihi (Economic Expert, Ministry of Economy, Sultanate of Oman)
• Dr. Nurcan Kilinc-Ata (Assistant Professor of Economics, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman)

Moderator:
Dr. Anastasia Sinitsyna (Research fellow in Economics, Asia Centre, University of Tartu, Estonia)