But still, the world has seen a number of clean energy wins as countries make inroads in adopting clean energy. For the first time this year, solar and wind power outpaced coal as the leading source of electricity in the first half of 2025—a promising step towards reducing emissions.
“It indicates a lot of really important things about the movements within the energy sector as a whole, and that direction is clearly toward reduced emissions,” says Jonathan Elkind, senior research scholar at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy.
Globally solar has become more affordable and accessible—paving the way for many around the world to adopt it. In 2024, 91% of new renewable power projects commissioned were more cost-effective than any new fossil fuel alternatives, according to data from IRENA, a global intergovernmental agency for energy transformation.
“If you don’t have a tariff on your renewables, which most countries outside of the U.S. don’t have, you’re looking to pay $60 for a solar panel. Most people in the world could afford that,” says Dave Jones, chief analyst at Ember, a global energy think tank.
