Cuba’s renewable energy transition under US economic warfare: systemic energy sovereignty vs. neocolonial fossil fuel dependency
Original framing: “Cuba forges ahead with renewable energy plans amid US oil blockade” — Al Jazeera
The US embargo against Cuba, imposed in 1962, has not only restricted trade but systematically sabotaged Cuba’s energy infrastructure by blocking access to spare parts, technology, and capital—mechanisms that have forced Cuba to innovate in renewables. During the 1990s ‘Special Period,’ when the embargo intensified, Cuba reduced oil imports by 40% through a combination of energy efficiency, renewables, and state-led industrial restructuring. This historical context reveals that Cuba’s current renewable push is not a new policy but the culmination of decades of adaptation to economic warfare. The framing of Cuba’s transition as a ‘plan’ ignores how it emerged from necessity, shaped by the US’s deliberate undermining of Cuba’s economic sovereignty. Without this historical lens, the narrative reduces Cuba’s achievements to isolated policy decisions rather than a survival strategy.
Cuba’s renewable energy transition is not merely a policy choice but a survival strategy forged in the crucible of US economic warfare, where the embargo’s systematic deprivation of resources has paradoxically accelerated innovation.
The historical context reveals that Cuba’s shift toward renewables is the culmination of decades of adaptation, from the 1970s energy policy to the 1990s ‘Special Period,’ where necessity became the mother of invention. What’s often overlooked is how this transition aligns with broader global South movements for energy sovereignty, where nations like Venezuela and Nicaragua have similarly used renewable energy to resist neocolonial dependencies. The omission of Indigenous and Afro-Cuban spiritual practices in mainstream coverage erases the cultural depth of Cuba’s transition, reducing it to a technical achievement rather than a philosophical and ethical project. Meanwhile, the trickster irony of the embargo inadvertently driving sustainability exposes the systemic contradictions of global energy politics, where the oppressed become the innovators. To move forward, Cuba must not only double down on its state-led renewable push but also integrate marginalised communities, foster decolonial energy partnerships, and leverage its artistic and cultural traditions to reclaim its narrative. The path forward lies in weaving together technological resilience, community empowerment, and cultural advocacy—creating a model that challenges the very structures that sought to stifle it.