IEA: World on 'Unstoppable' Path to Clean Energy

Despite a slow transition away from fossil fuels, the world is on an "unstoppable" trajectory to renewable energy, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) states.

The IEA functions as a global energy watchdog, and has predicted that renewables would provide half of the world's electricity by 2030.

Despite the positive news, the agency added that investment in fossil fuels still has to be slashed and that we are unlikely to stay below the maximum aim of a 1.5 rise in global temperatures.

"Impressive" Technologies

The IEA also praised the "significant" progress countries around the world have made in utilizing renewable energies and driving the switch to electric vehicles.

The report stated that the uptake of clean energy technologies was "impressive", pointing to data such as in 2020 when one in 25 cars sold was electric, now three years later, this number has risen to one in five.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said: "The transition to clean energy is happening worldwide and it's unstoppable. It's not a question of 'if', it's just a matter of 'how soon' - and the sooner the better for all of us."

"[Yet] Governments, companies and investors need to get behind clean energy transitions rather than hindering them," Mr Birol added.

Global Temperatures

The world's reliance on fossil fuels means that we are still on track to be facing a global average temperature rise of 2.4C by 2100.

That compares with the pledge made in 2015 when political leaders agreed on limiting temperature rises to "well below" 2C and to make every effort to keep it under 1.5C, to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

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