Our thinking

Hope against the heat

29 September, 2023

There is green light at the end of the tunnel.

Despite the climate gloom in the news driven in part by the UK government’s recent efforts to renege on some of the key policy proposals to meet the UK’s net zero targets, there is hope for global ambitions to fight climate change. The “staggering” growth of solar energy and electric vehicles sales worldwide has brightened the prospects of the planet staying within the 1.5C limit on global heating.

The growth in clean energy supply was highlighted in a report titled Net Zero Roadmap published on Tuesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which showed that solar power capacity increased nearly 50% in the last two years and electric car sales increased by 240%.

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the world’s foremost energy economist, spoke of his renewed optimism; “Despite the scale of the challenges, I feel more optimistic than I felt two years ago.”

With heatwaves ravaging and Antarctic Sea ice vanishing, it can sometimes feel like we’ve missed the boat to save our planet. This evidence of growth in green energy and investments offers promise at a welcome time. It’s a reminder that we are making progress, and this is still a goal we can reach.

The report does emphasise much more needs to be done, and developed countries with 2050 net zero targets, including the UK, should bring them forward by several years. This resonates with the message coming from the UN General Assembly, with the Secretary-General António Guterres urging “we cannot afford the same old broken record of scapegoating and waiting for others to move first.”

We see the IEA’s report as motivation. It’s not too late. The heat is on, but the solutions are there.

By Alice Railton