The clean fuels panel at Davos 2026 today heard hard-hitting comments from CEOs and economists as affordability was repeatedly stressed as the key issue affecting scale up and mass-market acceptance.

Elaine Buckberg, former Chief Economist at General Motors, set the scene, outlining how renewable diesel “is incredibly expensive” and urged the industry to focus on implementing clean fuels in hard-to-abate sectors – citing sustainable aviation fuel as “number one” in the pecking order.

Patrick Pouyanné, CEO at TotalEnergies, said the debate has shifted from sustainability to affordability and security, exacerbated by geopolitical and economic challenges.

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