Renewable power accounted for 70% of net additions to global power generating capacity in 2017, the largest increase in renewable power capacity in modern history, according to REN21’s Renewables 2018 Global Status Report (GSR). But the heating, cooling and transport sectors – which together account for about four-fifths of global final energy demand – continue to lag far behind the power sector. The GSR, published today, is the most comprehensive annual overview of the state of renewable energy worldwide.

New solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity reached record levels: Solar PV additions were up 29% relative to 2016, to 98 GW. More solar PV generating capacity was added to the electricity system than net capacity additions of coal, natural gas and nuclear power combined. Wind power also drove the uptake of renewables with 52 GW added globally.

Investment in new renewable power capacity was more than twice that of net, new fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity combined, despite large, ongoing subsidies for fossil fuel generation. More than two-thirds of investments in power generation were in renewables in 2017, thanks to their increasing cost-competitiveness – and the share of renewables in the power sector is expected to only continue to rise.

Investment in renewables was regionally concentrated: China, Europe and the United States accounted for nearly 75% of global investment in renewables in 2017. However, when measured per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), the Marshall Islands, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Guinea-Bissau, and many other developing countries are investing as much as or more in renewables than developed and emerging economies.

Both energy demand and energy-related CO2 emissions rose substantially for the first time in four years. Energy-related CO2 emissions rose by 1.4%. Global energy demand increased an estimated 2.1% in 2017 due to economic growth in emerging economies as well as population growth. Renewable energy uptake is not keeping pace with this increasing energy demand and the continuous investment in fossil and nuclear capacity.

In the power sector, the transition to renewables is under way but is progressing more slowly than is possible or desirable. A commitment made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global temperature rise to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels makes the nature of the challenge much clearer.

If the world is to achieve the target set in the Paris agreement, then heating, cooling and transport will need to follow the same path as the power sector – and fast. These sectors have seen:

Little change in renewables uptake in heating and cooling: Modern renewable energy supplied approximately 10% of total global heat production in 2015. National targets for renewable energy in heating and cooling exist in only 48 countries around the world, whereas 146 countries have targets for renewable energy in the power sector.

Small changes are under way. In India, for example, installations of solar thermal collectors rose approximately 25% in 2017 as compared to 2016. China aims to have 2% of the cooling loads of its buildings come from solar thermal energy by 2020.

In transport, increasing electrification is offering possibilities for renewable energy uptake despite the dominance of fossil fuels: More than 30 million two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles are being added to the world’s roads every year, and 1.2 million passenger electric cars were sold in 2017, up about 58% from 2016. Electricity provides 1.3% of transport energy needs, of which about one-quarter is renewable, and biofuels provide 2.9%. Overall, however, 92% of transport energy demand continues to be met by oil, and only 42 countries have national targets for the use of renewable energy in transport.

For these sectors to change, the right policy frameworks need to be put in place, driving innovation and the development of new renewable energy technologies in the sectors that are lagging.

“Equating ‘electricity’ with ‘energy’ is leading to complacency. We may be racing down the pathway towards a 100% renewable electricity future, but when it comes to heating, cooling and transport, we are coasting along as if we had all the time in the world. Sadly, we don’t.”

Rana Adib, Executive Secretary of REN21

“To make the energy transition happen there needs to be political leadership by governments – for example by ending subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear, investing in the necessary infrastructure, and establishing hard targets and policy for heating, cooling and transport. Without this leadership, it will be difficult for the world to meet climate or sustainable development commitments.”

Arthouros Zervos, REN21 Chair

Governments at national and subnational levels around the world continue to prepare for, and implement, carbon pricing initiatives as a means to curb their emissions while raising revenues, a new World Bank report finds.

Launched at the Innovate4Climate conference in Frankfurt, the annual State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2018 report shows that carbon pricing continues to gain traction. This edition of the report also includes emerging trends as countries negotiate the guidelines of the Paris Agreement, in the run-up to the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Download the full report

To date, 70 jurisdictions (45 national and 25 sub-national) have implemented, or are scheduled to implement, carbon pricing initiatives. These mechanisms helped governments raise about $33 billion in 2017 in carbon pricing revenues from allowance auctions, direct payments to meet compliance obligations, and carbon tax receipts. This represents a 50% increase compared to the US$22 billion raised in 2016.

Implementation of carbon pricing initiatives has tripled in the past decade. In 2016 and 2017, this increase was primarily driven by jurisdictions in the Americas, including Chile, Colombia, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario, and the U.S. states of California, Massachusetts and Washington. But other regions are also active. In December 2017, China announced its plan to operationalize its national emissions trading system (ETS) in phases, starting with the power sector.

With a fully operational Chinese ETS, carbon pricing mechanisms around the world are projected to cover 11 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e), or about 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, up from 15 percent last year. The report also finds that carbon prices are rising, with about half of emissions now covered by carbon pricing initiatives priced at over US$10/tCO2e, compared to one-quarter of emissions covered in 2017.

“Governments at all levels are starting to see the effectiveness of carbon pricing in their efforts to cut harmful carbon pollution while also raising revenues for climate and other policies, including environmental action. As countries take stock of their Paris Agreement commitments and set a path towards increased ambition, carbon pricing mechanisms with robust pricing levels are proving to be essential elements of the toolkit.”

John Roome, World Bank Senior Director for Climate Change

The report also highlights emerging trends in carbon pricing, including the growing prominence of efforts in Asia and the Americas, the use of carbon pricing initiatives to serve multiple environmental and social objectives, and the adoption of phased approaches to make changes as initiatives progress. The report also notes the rise of innovative tools and technologies, as well as momentum to divest from fossil fuels - factors that have played a role in the advancement of carbon pricing initiatives.

The report is launched today at the Innovate4Climate (I4C) conference – the World Bank Group’s flagship annual event on climate finance, investment and markets which brings together global business, policy and finance leaders to discuss innovative climate finance solutions.

June 9th marks Coral Triangle Day, when ocean lovers from across the Asia Pacific and the rest of the world celebrate the Coral Triangle bioregion - home to more marine species than anywhere else on the planet.

This year, WWF, The Coral Triangle and The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI-CFF) are running a high profile Instagram contest in a bid to reduce single use plastics which are a huge source of pollution throughout the Coral Triangle.

The 2018 Coral Triangle Day Instagram Campaign focuses on ACTION and PLEDGES. We’re inviting people to join the #PLASTICRESISTANCE this Coral Triangle Day and to encourage their family and friends to do the same!

Globally, the plastic pollution problem is coming sharply into focus thanks to sustained campaigns and media coverage. People are increasingly aware of the impacts of plastic on the marine environment and the destructive wastefulness of single use plastics such as straws, coffee cup lids, cotton buds and product packaging. It's time to translate that momentum into real world action and a pledge to change behaviour moving forward!

Using the hashtag #PLASTICRESISTANCE and #CORALTRIANGLE, we're asking Instagram users to post images, gifs or videos that demonstrates how they are saying NO to pointless plastics, like bags, straws, coffee cup lids, cotton buds and packaging. We want to know what people are doing personally - as the saying goes, "be the change you want to see."

We're asking contestants to include a simple message explaining in 50 words or fewer how they are breaking up with single use plastics. We also want them to nominate someone to make their own plastic pledge. The three entries judged to most powerfully communicate this message will win prizes including a 7 day dive holiday in Raja Ampat, Indonesia and a 3 day dive holiday in Borneo and a Mares snorkel, mask and fin set.

The Coral Triangle is the global epicentre of marine biodiversity - a bioregion that encompasses the territorial waters of seven countries (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Fiji). It is a Mecca for divers and sustains much of the world’s appetite for seafood. Yet two Coral Triangle countries – Indonesia and the Philippines – rank second and third only to China when it comes to coastal plastic pollution. Globally, we humans dump around eigh million tonnes of ocean into the ocean each year. And it isn't just coastal communities, as plastic also makes its way out to sea via inland waterways. It is high time we turned the tide on ocean plastics. Last year, the UN launched its Clean Seas campaign as the world unites to end once and for all our toxic relationship with single-use plastics.

Three acclaimed photographers and environmental advocates will judge the contest, based on impact, relevance to the theme and originality. There will be three top prizes as voted by the judges and three additional prizes (Coral Triangle coffee table books) for the three images that receive the most number of likes, (excluding the top 3 prize winners).

The Coral Triangle Day #PLASTICRESISTANCE contest is working with high profile partners and sponsors including WWF, Conservation International, Mission Blue, Oceana, Matador Network, Papua Diving, Scuba Junkie and Bye- Bye Plastic Bags.

The Coral Triangle is fast emerging as one of the most exciting destinations in the world for nature-based tourism which benefits local communities, ecosystems and tourists alike. Confronting the issue of waste plastic entering the ocean is one way in which all of us as consumers can make a difference, while encouraging companies to rethink how they produce and package products.

More information about the contest: The Coral Triangle Day

The Talanoa Dialogue

Ambition before 2020

Further highlights

Economist Naoko Ishii, CEO, Global Environment Facility (GEF), is on a mission to protect the planet's shared resources, known as the global commons, that are vital for our survival.

"Our economies are no longer local. When we moved away from being local, we started to lose our connection to the commons. We carried economic objectives, goals, and systems beyond the local, but we did not carry the notion of taking care of the commons," Naoko Ishhi.

"Our mistake was to assume that the capacity of the earth for self-repair had no limits. It does have limits. The message from the science is very clear: we humans have become an overwhelming force to determine the future living conditions on earth, and what’s more, we are running out of time. If we don’t act on them, we will be losing the global commons. It’s only our generation who are able to preserve it - preserve the commons as we know them. Now is the time we start managing the global commons as our parents or our grandparents managed their local commons," Ishii stated.

Naoko Ishii added: "We all share one planet in common. We breathe the same air, we drink the same water, we depend on the same oceans, forests, and biodiversity. There is no space left on earth for egoism. The global commons must be kept within their safe operating space, and we can only do it together."

In an eye-opening talk about the wellness of the planet, Ishii outlines four economic systems we need to change to safeguard the global commons, making the case for a new kind of social contract with the earth.