Clean Energy Hits Record $2.1 Trillion But Emissions Only Plateau
London – September 07, 2026 -- Global clean energy investment reached a record $2.1 trillion in 2025, yet global greenhouse gas emissions are merely plateauing rather than falling, according to the Energy Transitions Commission's (ETC) Energy Transition Monitor 2026. The world has already breached 1.5°C of global heating and remains on track for roughly 2.5°C.
Renewables supplied 99% of new electricity generation growth in 2025
Coal-fired and oil-fired generation both contracted last year as global renewable capacity nearly doubled since 2022, putting it on track to double again by 2030 -- still around 900 GW short of the tripling pledge made at COP28. Because electricity accounts for only a fifth of total final energy use, this surge covered just 40% of the rise in global energy demand, with fossil fuels supplying the remainder as data centres, cooling needs and heavy industry pushed overall consumption higher.