Solar power plant with a capacity of 300 kilowatts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. IRENA report: world lags behind in transition to clean energy Climate and Environment
Despite record growth in renewable energy, the world is still far from meeting its climate commitments. This is stated in a report published on Tuesday by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
According to IRENA, 582 GW of new renewable capacity was commissioned in 2024, an absolute record. However, to reach the goal agreed at the COP28 climate conference – 11.2 TW by 2030 – the world needs to add more than 1,100 GW annually. The current pace is clearly insufficient, the authors of the report state.
“The clean energy revolution is irreversible,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, commenting on the report. – Renewables are being deployed faster and cheaper than fossil fuels, creating jobs, driving growth and providing affordable electricity. But the window of opportunity to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is rapidly closing. We must act faster.”
IRENA stresses that developed countries must take the lead in moving away from coal and oil, increasing the share of renewable sources to 20 percent of global energy capacity by the end of the decade. This requires a sharp increase in investment – in the modernization of power grids, supply chains and the production of clean technologies: solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and hydrogen systems.
The authors of the report also remind that reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of renewable sources is one of few positive developments in the gloomy picture of climate forecasts in recent years. However, without decisive action and financial support, the transition to sustainable energy may be too slow to prevent the catastrophic effects of global warming.