Clean energy's share of world's electricity reaches 40%, and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week
- This weekly round-up contains the key nature and climate news from the past week.
- Top nature and climate news: Clean energy share of world’s electricity surpasses 40%; Europe experiences hottest March ever; US withdraws from shipping decarbonization talks.
1. Clean power surpassed 40% of global electricity generation in 2024
Renewable power sources added a record 858 terawatt-hours (TWh) of generation in 2024, 49% more than the previous record of 577 TWh set in 2022.
This was largely driven by an increase in solar power generation, which has doubled over the last three years to reach over 2,000 TWh.
Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition.
—Phil MacDonald, Managing Director, Ember
”Heatwaves contributed to high growth in electricity demand, resulting in a small increase in fossil fuel generation that has driven up power sector emissions to an all-time high.
How is the World Economic Forum facilitating the transition to clean energy?
The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Energy and Materials is driving the transition to a “fit for 2050” energy system. It is a cross-industry platform building new coalitions and delivering insights required for a sustainable, secure and just energy future.
Learn more about our impact:
- Clean energy in emerging economies: We are advancing country-specific renewable energy finance solutions for four of the biggest emerging and developing economies: India, Brazil, Nigeria and Indonesia. In the latter, a new solar and battery initiative is bringing 15MW of clean energy to the East Sumba region – enough to power 4,000 homes and avoid 5.5KtCO₂ yearly emissions.
- Energy Transition Index: We have measured the progress of 120 countries on the performance of their energy systems, enabling policymakers and businesses to identify the necessary actions for the energy transition.
- Mining and metals blockchain: We released a proof of concept to trace emissions across the value chain using blockchain technology, helping accelerate global action for country-specific financing solutions.
- Clean power and electrification: We are accelerating the adoption of clean power and electric solutions in the next decade to help increase clean energy consumption threefold by 2030.
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Want to know more about our centre’s impact or get involved? Contact us.
2. Europe experiences warmest March on record
The continent saw an average surface air temperature over land of 6.03ºC, 2.41ºC above the 1991-2020 average for the month. It was 0.26°C warmer than the previous warmest March in 2014.
The largest heat anomalies in Europe occurred across eastern Europe and southwest Russia. Meanwhile, temperatures exceeded averages across much of the Arctic, with the Canadian Archipelago and Baffin Bay experiencing particularly significant warming.
3. News in brief: Other top nature and climate stories this week
The US administration has been implementing significant policy changes in recent months. Here’s some of the latest news:
European Union climate targets to slash net emissions by 90% by 2040 are overly ambitious, Peter Liese, a senior member of the European Parliament, told Reuters. “We really think when the 90% is implemented without any flexibility, then it will lead to de-industrialisation,” he said.
4. More on the nature and climate crisis from the Forum
Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than five millimetres wide. They represent more than 90% of all plastic on the ocean surface. Recent studies indicate that microplastics can reduce photosynthesis in plants, increase antimicrobial resistance and affect brain function. Here are four things you didn’t know about this type of pollution.
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