Proceedings of the International scientific and practical conference ―Science, Technology and Culture: From Tradition to Digital Future‖ (December 8-10, 2025) / Publisher website: www.naukainfo.com. – Vienna, Austria, 2025. – 183 p.

128 A key aspect of the conference was the recognition of the need for a "just transition" for workers and communities dependent on fossil fuels. To ensure social support during the transition to low-carbon technologies, technical and financial assistance mechanisms were approved to help preserve jobs and retrain workers. At the same time, COP30 failed to adopt concrete decisions on the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels. Despite substantial pressure from many countries and the public, the final document did not include direct commitments to reduce the production and consumption of coal, oil, and gas, which drew criticism from environmental organizations and some countries. Overall, the conference emphasized the importance of balancing environmental ambitions with political realities, noting the need for further dialogue and cooperation. Achieving these goals requires a comprehensive approach that brings together the efforts of governments, international organizations, businesses, and society. Only through such cooperation it is possible to build modern energy systems that combine environmental sustainability, economic efficiency, and social justice, thereby minimizing the negative impacts of global challenges. Energy security and sustainable development in modern society are impossible without a transition to renewable energy sources. Alternative energy resources that do not depend on fossil fuels include a wide range of natural phenomena and processes—solar radiation, wind flows, geothermal heat, wave and tidal energy, as well as biomass and gases generated by the decomposition of organic waste. These sources have one common feature: their supply is continuous or renewable under natural conditions. The growing global demand for energy has created an urgent need to find alternatives to depleting reserves of traditional fossil fuels. According to current estimates, the proven reserves of oil, gas, and coal could last for several decades. However, even if the potential geological resources - yet to be discovered and developed – are taken into account, they would not sustain consumption for more than a century, which is an extremely short timeframe given the continuous rise in global energy consumption.