The clean energy transition has been built around a powerful assumption: if energy is renewable and low in carbon, it is inherently sustainable. This research challenges that belief. It reveals how many celebrated renewable technologies can still damage rivers, forests, biodiversity, and future generations by shifting environmental costs out of sight. Rather than asking how nature can accommodate growing energy demand, it reframes the debate around a more fundamental question

For many countries, energy policy has long been defined by a single question: how to secure enough fuel to keep the lights on. But for climate-vulnerable and low-income nations, this approach often creates a deeper dependence on imported fossil fuels, volatile global markets, and external political pressures. The concept of energy sovereignty under Natural Rights Led Governance (NRLG) challenges this model. It reframes energy not simply as a commodity to be secured, but as a