The IEA (International Energy Agency) says that the world is on an “unstoppable” shift towards renewable energy; however, the rate of decrease of the use of fossil fuels is not happening quickly enough. It was predicted that 50% of the world's electricity by the year 2030 would be renewable. However it has been warned that the emissions were still too high to prevent the temperatures from rising above the threshold of 1.5C.
The IEA has praised countries on its significant progress in expanding the use of renewable energy and support in this paradigm shift. They expressed their gratitude when statistics showed that in 2020 one in twenty-five cars sold were electric and now one every five cars sold is electric.
"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" said International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol.
The report also mentioned that oil and gas would still continue to play a vital role in the global economy and that this investment was “essential”. However, it had also recognized that the current level of funding was double of what they should be.
A spokesperson for the department of Energy Securing and Net Zero had stated in a reply to the report published by the IEA that the independent climate Change Committee had mentioned that oil and gas would continue to be a part of the UK’s energy mix on their path to net zero.
The world's reliance on fossil fuels means that we are still on track to be facing a global average temperature rise of 2.4°C by 2100. That compares with the pledge made in 2015 when political leaders agreed on limiting temperature rises to "well below" 2°C and to make every effort to keep it under 1.5°C, to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.
Source: Stallard, Esme. BBC. “World shift to clean energy is unstoppable, IEA report says”. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67198206. 01/11/2023. [Date of access: 25/11/2023]
Edited by: Yash Pincha
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