International Day of Clean Energy

Let's Act Now to reduce energy consumption at home together!

 As the previous section showed, the clean energy transition has made significant strides in multiple areas over the past decade. In this section, we explore six key dimensions of the socioeconomic benefits that can be gained by accelerating this transition beyond its essential role in driving rapid, deep, and sustained GHG emissions cuts to minimize climate damages and keep 1.5°C within reach.  i) Energy security and sovereignty  Around 74% of the global population currently lives in countries that are net importers of coal, oil, and gas, and one in four people live in countries that spend at least 5% of their annual GDP on fossil fuel imports. For oil and gas, as of 2022, 93 countries (out of 147 countries with reported data) are net importers, with 69 countries being fully reliant on imports to meet their domestic consumption (Figure 5). Dependence on fossil fuel imports creates vulnerability to volatile prices, supply disruptions, and geopolitical turmoil. According t...

  As Section 2 showed, while the world has seen remarkable progress in renewable energydeployment in certain sectors and regions over thepast decade , far less progress has been made in other aspects of the just energy transition. Consequently, we remain far off track from meeting the overall global 1.5°C-aligned energy-transition goals agreed to at COP28 (Table 2).xiv This section explores some of the key challenges, risks, and barriers that must be addressed to accelerate the just energy transition globally.  i) Mobilizing adequate, accessible, and affordable finance for developing countries to accelerate their energy transitions : Most of the additional energy demand over the next few years and decades is poised to come from EMDEs, driven by rapid economic development, urbanization, and population growth. However, progress on the clean energy transition has thus far largely been concentrated in advanced economies and China. Of the 4,448 GW of global total renewable capacity...

 The year 2024 saw multiple records broken for the clean energy transition and for renewable energy in particular. Global installed capacity of renewable power increased by 585 GW, marking a record annual growth rate of 15.1% and accounting for 92.5% of power capacity additions from all sources.29 The share of clean energy sources in global electricity generation surpassed 40% for the first time, with renewables accounting for 32%.30 Meanwhile, global investments in the clean energy transition exceeded USD 2 trillion for the first time.31 (See Annex for the definitions of clean energy and renewable energy used throughout this report, and for definitions of electricity capacity and generation .) This section explores six indicators that illustrate how the clean energy transition is well underway and accelerating. Table 1 summarizes how some of the key underlying metrics have evolved since 2015, the year the Paris Agreement was adopted. i) Cost declines of renewable power Du...

  The year 2015 marked a turning point in global climate governance, with the adoption of the landmark Paris Agreement at COP21. It has an overarching goal of holding the increase in global average temperature relative to pre-industrial levels to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts towards 1.5°C. Subsequent COPs have resolved to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change compared to 2°C. At COP28, Parties delivered a comprehensive vision for a 1.5°C-aligned energy system transformation, establishing global targets that include tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and transitioning away from fossil fuels in line with global net-zero emissions by 2050, with accelerated near-term action. The collective ratcheting up of global climate ambition and action over the last ten years means that projected global warming has been prog...

As the world marks the International Day of Clean Energy 2025 , global momentum behind nuclear energy continues to build, with the clean power source set to generate record levels of electricity in the year ahead. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a new era for nuclear energy beckons , as demand for clean and secure electricity grows around the world. The number of new projects, policies and investments are increasing, including in technological advances such as small modular reactors (SMRs). “ This news that the world breached 1.5C warming in 2024 comes as demand for energy is growing. One after another, technology companies looking for reliable low-carbon electricity to power AI and data centres are turning to nuclear energy, both in the form of traditional large reactors and SMRs, ” said the Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi this month in an article in La Revue de l'Énergie. Nuclear energy ’s increasing momentum could be seen at COP28, where the first Gl...