TOKYO, October 24. /TASS/. The conflict in the Middle East is likely to accelerate the world’s shift to cleaner energy sources, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol believes.

In particular, he noted how governments responded to the oil crisis in the 1970s by building nuclear plants and pushing for more fuel-efficient cars. "If the world once again experiences firsthand how the oil supplies are fragile and exposed to geopolitical uncertainties, I believe this will further accelerate governments' and consumers' attention [to] clean energy options," he said in an interview with Nikkei newspaper.

"The Middle East is responsible [for] about one-third of the global oil exports," Birol said, adding that a potential escalation of the war would impact trade routes, disrupting supply and leading to higher and more volatile energy prices, which could push prices still higher and curb "already fragile economic growth expectations, especially for developing countries."

The global energy situation would look "very different" seven years from now with an enhanced role for clean technologies, the IEA chief stressed. In 2030, "almost every second car sold in the world will be electric," up from one in five cars this year, while renewables and nuclear energy will reduce the share of fossil fuel in electricity generation to 40%, down from 60% this year, Birol said.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its October report earlier that the conflict in the Middle East had not yet resulted in a rise in oil prices but the market remained on edge in expectation of the crisis deepening.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East when militants from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.