The World Health Organisation reports that the extreme heatwave blanketing Europe has killed more than 1,300 people. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution consortium found nearly half of Europe's 850 biggest cities are experiencing their worst heat stress in recorded history, with temperatures consistently 5°C to 12°C above seasonal averages. In the summer of 2022, heat-related deaths in Europe were estimated at over 60,000, and the current heatwave is significantly hotter.
Heatwave Disrupts Infrastructure
The heatwave has ruptured Germany's Autobahn, buckled train lines, degraded power lines, and forced nuclear plants to close due to regulations limiting river use for cooling when temperatures are too high. Scientists found daytime temperatures recently would have been impossible in the 1976 European heatwave and 10 times less likely than in 2003, attributing the increase to human-made climate change from rising greenhouse gases.
Trump's Iran Attack: An Accidental Catalyst for Renewables
Donald Trump's inept attack on Iran alongside Israel, and the resulting blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—which carries about 20% of the world's oil and gas supply—has triggered fresh consideration of energy independence from fossil fuels. While short-term decisions have bolstered dirty fuels, attention is also on ramping up clean energy and electrification for energy security and lower costs.
Renewable Energy Surge
For the first time, renewable energy—solar, wind, and hydro—overtook coal-fired power as the leading source of electricity last year, providing a third of the global total. Including nuclear, non-fossil generation reached 42%. Solar energy grew 30% in 2025, the largest annual increase of any electricity source in history, while battery storage grew 66%. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that the cost of solar and batteries has fallen 90% and 95% respectively over the past 15 years, and wind energy costs are down 70%. He called renewables the “clean way out” of the energy crisis, stating: “Renewables are the cheapest, fastest and most scalable source of new electricity in most of the world.”
Global Examples of Clean Energy Growth
In Pakistan, solar capacity has increased more than tenfold in four years, with solar electricity topping 25% of the country's electricity last year, prompting the government to cancel LNG imports. In the EU, solar and wind provided about 30% of electricity in 2025, up from 19% in 2021, and renewable energy now accounts for 48% of total generation, while fossil fuels have fallen to 29%. Even in the US, solar and batteries provided 91% of new generation capacity in the first quarter of 2025, and May was the first month solar provided more electricity than coal, according to Ember.
China and EVs Lead the Charge
China uses more electricity than the US, Europe, and India combined and is adding far more renewable energy than the rest of the world. Coal's share of its power has fallen from about 80% twenty years ago to about 50% today. China is also the global leader in manufacturing and buying electric vehicles; two-thirds of cars and at least 25% of heavy vehicles sold there this year are expected to be EVs. Globally, BloombergNEF projects EVs will account for 27% of new car sales, up from 9% five years ago. In India, Delhi announced a ban on new licence plates for fossil-powered small trucks and three-wheelers from next year, and scooters and motorbikes in two years. Ethiopia has already banned the importation of new fossil fuel cars to save on fuel costs.
Electrification: The Key to Climate Progress
Despite these advances, global emissions have yet to decline, as much new clean energy powers expanding demand rather than replacing fossil fuels. However, the shift in solar, transport, and energy storage highlights the growing focus on electrification, which is central to plans for this year's UN climate summit and campaigns like Electrify Now. Electricity can already meet about 75% of the world's energy needs using existing technology, and it will increasingly come from clean sources due to cost advantages. This offers qualified optimism for addressing the climate crisis.
