Clean energy is unstoppable now
The Intergovernmental Association for Clean Energy (IEA) Report: The Challenge of Reducing Fossil Fuel Consumption in the Rise of Climate Change
“The transition to clean energy is happening worldwide and it’s unstoppable. FatihBirol said in a press release that it was not a question of if, but how soon.
Natural gas export projects in the U.S. and other countries are part of the IEA’s projections. The agency says that it will help alleviate the concerns of price and gas supply after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“The only way out of climate disaster is for oil and gas to peak immediately and decline rapidly,” says Kelly Trout, research director at Oil Change International. “This year’s World Energy Outlook underscores that we can’t solve the climate crisis by adding renewable energy on top of new fossil fuels.”
The report warns that the pace of the transition will have to intensify considerably to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees, and avoid a number of worst case scenarios.
Electricization of cars, heating and cooling systems, and homes will all be necessary to clean up pollution. According to the IEA, electric heat pumps will sell better than fossil fuel boilers by the end of the decade. And it has already seen the adoption of electric vehicles accelerate, with EVs making up one in five cars sold this year compared to one in 25 in 2020.
That’s the picture the International Energy Agency (IEA) paints in the World Energy Outlook it published today, which is based on governments’ current energy policies. After the 1970s oil crisis, the international energy organization was established to help safeguard the global energy supply. Now, shoring up energy systems means bringing renewables online to prevent more extreme climate change — especially as climate-fueled disasters like heatwaves and storms increasingly threaten power grids across the world.
That’s all welcome news for policymakers attempting to slash greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. More than 200 countries agreed to work together to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius more than the preindustrial era. It’s a goal that would prevent flooding, heatwaves, fires, and other climate-related catastrophes from growing much worse.
A deal to phase out fossil fuels may be on the table when world leaders gather in December for a United Nations climate summit. “Nations must come together to secure agreement on a fast, fair phaseout of fossil fuels, alongside a massive ramp-up of renewable energy and energy efficiency,” Union of Concerned Scientists policy director and lead economist Rachel Cleetus said in an emailed statement.
