The world is not doing enough to expand renewable energy sources and Trump cannot guarantee a 450 million fine

The goal of tripling the capacity of renewable energy sources by 2030, as agreed at last year’s climate conference, can only be achieved with significant additional efforts.

This is the conclusion of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which presented a corresponding report on Tuesday in the German capital Berlin. On average, almost 1,100 gigawatts (GW) of additional power would need to be installed annually by then; more than twice as much as in the record year 2023 with 473 GW. Annual investments of 1.55 trillion dollars (approx. 1.058 trillion euros/1.371 trillion francs) are needed. According to preliminary IRENA figures, installed capacity worldwide last year was 3,870 GW.

According to IRENA, achieving this goal will require improvements to infrastructure such as networks and energy storage, appropriate political decisions such as leaner approval procedures and workforces, as well as increased financial resources and closer international cooperation. “Our data shows that progress is still not sufficient and that the energy transition is still not on track,” said IRENA Director General Francesco La Camera.

According to the report, renewable energy grew mainly in China, the EU and the US, which together accounted for 83 percent of global growth. However, developing countries in particular lagged behind. According to IRENA, 120 of these accounted for only 15 percent of global investments in renewable energy, while sub-Saharan Africa accounted for less than 1.5 percent, even though it is home to the population groups with the worst energy supply. . At the same time, there were global subsidies of $1.3 trillion (about 1.2 trillion euros/1.15 trillion francs) for climate-damaging fossil energy sources.

At the 2015 World Climate Conference in Paris, countries around the world agreed to limit global warming – and thus its potentially catastrophic consequences for humanity – to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. According to many researchers, this is now hardly possible, but any lower limit on the temperature increase is worthwhile. (rbu/sda/dpa)