The thinktank Ember reported that for the primary half of 2025 photo voltaic and wind grew so quick that they lined all the growth in demand for electrical energy to date this yr, with room to spare. Analysts are calling this an epochal second. It demonstrates that the clear vitality transition is actual, one thing that sounded mambo jumbo even three years in the past.
“The autumn general of fossil could also be small, however it’s vital,” mentioned one of many Ember researchers. “It is a turning level after we see emissions plateauing.” Fossil gas use for electrical technology fell 2 % in China, and dipped in India as properly.
Sadly, whereas the world celebrates this second, the US is sliding again – development in electrical demand outpaced new renewable provide. The Trump administration has declared an all out battle on clear vitality.
“The forecast for the US is revised down by nearly 50%” from a yr in the past, the report states, after the Trump administration phased out federal renewable vitality tax credit forward of schedule, imposed extreme import restrictions on renewables industries, suspended new offshore wind leasing, and curtailed wind and photo voltaic leasing on federal lands.
New data reveals that China is now exporting extra clear vitality than the U.S. is exporting soiled vitality. The US, which has positioned itself as a serious fossil gas exporter, offered $80 billion in oil and fuel overseas by means of July, the final month with information accessible. China exported $120 billion in inexperienced expertise over the identical interval.
Carbon Offsets an Abysmal Failure
An enormous new research finds that carbon offsets have been an abysmal failure. The failure of carbon offsets to chop planet-heating air pollution is “not due to a couple unhealthy apples”, a review paper has discovered, however all the way down to deep-seated systemic issues that incremental change won’t remedy.
Analysis over twenty years has discovered “intractable” issues which have made carbon credit in most massive programmes poor high quality, based on the research. Whereas the trade and diplomats have made efforts to enhance the system, it discovered much-awaited rules agreed at a UN local weather summit final yr “didn’t considerably handle the standard downside”.
“We should cease anticipating carbon offsetting to work at scale,” mentioned Stephen Lezak, a researcher on the College of Oxford’s Smith College and co-author of the research, in Annual Critiques. “We now have assessed 25 years of proof and nearly all the things up till this level has failed.”
Carbon offsets are a software to chop emissions effectively by crediting wealthy polluters for financing low-cost local weather motion overseas whereas pumping out the identical quantity of planet-heating fuel at house.
India Virtually Reaches 50% Capability
As of mid-2025, India’s renewal vitality share of put in capability is over 50% (round 484.82 GW whole), however its share of whole electrical energy manufacturing is considerably decrease, at roughly 18-20%. This hole is because of elements like larger demand from excessive warmth, which has led to higher reliance on fossil fuels like coal and fuel. As of June 2025, non-fossil gas sources (together with renewable and nuclear) accounted for 49% of India’s whole put in capability, with a purpose of reaching 500 GW from non-fossil gas sources by 2030.
This report is an adaptation from https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/something-extraordinary-just-happened
