Every year, the world’s energy needs are increasing. We are using more and more electricity and fuel to run our homes, factories, transport, and technology. But while clean energy sources like solar and wind power are growing fast, they are still not enough to meet the total global demand.
According to the latest 2025 Statistical Review of World Energy by the Energy Institute, the world’s energy demand grew by 2% in 2024. At the same time, carbon emissions rose by 1%, setting a new record for the fourth year in a row.
This situation shows a major problem: while clean energy is making good progress, our total energy use is growing even faster. As a result, harmful emissions that cause climate change are still increasing.
Understanding Energy Demand and Emissions
Before diving deeper, let’s understand a few basic terms:
- Energy demand refers to how much energy the world needs to power everything—homes, industries, transport, etc.
- Carbon emissions are greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide or CO₂) released when fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas are burned.
- Clean energy or renewable energy includes sources like solar, wind, hydropower, and nuclear that do not emit carbon when producing electricity.
- Fossil fuels are natural resources like coal, oil, and gas that release CO₂ when burned.
When energy demand grows and most of it is met by fossil fuels, emissions increase, contributing to global warming and climate change.
2024: A Year of Record Energy Use
In 2024, global energy demand reached 592 exajoules, which is the highest ever recorded. An exajoule (EJ) is a unit of energy. To give you an idea, 1 EJ = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules – enough to power a medium-sized city for several months.
The use of all major types of energy—coal, oil, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear, and renewable energy—was at its highest in history.
Solar and Wind Are Growing Fast, But Not Fast Enough
The bright side is that clean energy sources, especially solar and wind, grew rapidly in 2024. In fact, these sources grew by 16%, which is nine times faster than the overall increase in global energy demand.
This shows that investment in renewable energy is happening, and it is delivering results. China alone contributed 57% to this solar and wind energy growth. In the last two years, the world’s solar energy production has nearly doubled.
However, despite this impressive growth, clean energy is still not enough. The overall energy demand is growing so fast that solar and wind power can’t catch up. Even though their share is increasing, fossil fuels are still providing most of the energy.
Fossil Fuels Still Dominate
One of the most concerning parts of the report is that the use of fossil fuels also increased in 2024. The consumption of coal, oil, and gas went up by 1% globally.
Let’s look at a few examples:
- In India, the demand for coal increased by 4%. India’s coal consumption is now equal to the total usage in the USA, Europe, and South America combined.
- On the other hand, in China, the demand for crude oil fell by 1.2%, suggesting that China might have reached its peak oil usage. This means their oil use may now start to decline.
Still, on a global scale, the use of fossil fuels is not decreasing. This is a big obstacle in the fight against climate change.
Electricity Demand is Surging
Electricity is the most flexible and widely used form of energy. In 2024, global electricity demand rose by 4%, which is a significant jump. This increase shows that the world is entering a new “electric era”, where everything—from cars to factories to kitchens—is shifting toward electric power.
This is good news because electricity can be generated from clean sources like solar and wind. But again, the challenge is to make sure the electricity comes from clean sources, not from coal or gas.
Unfortunately, the reality is that both clean and fossil fuel-based electricity are growing together. This unbalanced growth makes it harder to reduce carbon emissions.
A Mixed Picture Around the World
The energy transition—that is, the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy—is not happening at the same pace everywhere.
In developed countries like those in Europe, renewable energy growth is slowing down due to the rising cost of supply chains and higher interest rates. These financial challenges are making it more difficult to invest in new solar and wind projects.
In developing countries like India and China, the situation is different. These countries still need to build more energy infrastructure to support their growing populations and economies. While they are trying to use more clean energy, they are also still heavily dependent on coal and oil.
This creates an uneven and disorganized energy transition. Some countries are moving faster, while others are lagging behind due to financial, political, or industrial reasons.
60% of New Demand Still Comes from Fossil Fuels
Andy Brown, President of the Energy Institute, gave a clear warning: despite all the progress in clean energy, 60% of the new energy demand in 2024 was still met by fossil fuels.
This means that most of the newly added energy is still polluting the environment.
The report clearly shows that while solar and wind are growing rapidly, they are not yet enough to meet the world’s total energy needs. As a result, we are burning more fossil fuels and emitting more carbon than ever before.
What Was Promised vs. What’s Happening
At the global climate conference COP 28, countries around the world agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. But according to Wafa Jafri, Head of Energy Strategy at KPMG UK, many countries are not on track to meet this goal.
Why?
Because financial and logistic problems—such as high interest rates, supply chain costs, and slow policy implementation—are holding back progress.
This means that despite good intentions and global agreements, the reality on the ground is very different. Clean energy is still not growing fast enough to replace fossil fuels entirely.
The Way Forward
To solve this problem, the world needs to act on multiple levels:
- Accelerate investment in clean energy – Governments and private companies need to invest more in solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear power.
- Phase out fossil fuels – Slowly reduce the use of coal, oil, and gas by providing alternatives like electric vehicles, green hydrogen, and battery storage.
- Improve energy efficiency – Use energy-saving technologies in buildings, industries, and transport to reduce overall demand.
- Support developing nations – Provide financial and technical help to countries that are still building their energy systems.
- Strengthen global cooperation – Countries must work together to meet the climate targets set under international agreements.
Conclusion
The world is clearly moving toward clean energy, but the speed is not enough to match the rising demand. Carbon emissions are still going up, and the energy transition is unbalanced and uneven.
If the current trends continue, we may miss our climate goals and see more extreme weather, rising sea levels, and environmental crises.
The challenge is huge—but not impossible. With the right policies, investments, and international cooperation, we can still create a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable energy future.
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