Two Climate Narratives Unfold Globally
Across the world, two distinct climate-related narratives are unfolding simultaneously, reflecting both the current state and potential future of our planet. One is a gradual, ominous crisis, while the other offers a more hopeful, uplifting perspective. Both deserve close attention.
The Escalating Climate Horror
The World Health Organization has reported a deadly, record-breaking heatwave sweeping across Europe, with the number of heat-related deaths expected to rise significantly. In 2022, Europe experienced over 60,000 heat-related fatalities, and recent temperatures have been even more extreme.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution consortium have found that nearly half of Europe’s 850 largest cities have experienced temperatures 5°C to 12°C above seasonal averages in recent days. This heatwave represents an intensification of climate impacts linked to human-induced global warming.
The devastation caused by twin earthquakes in Venezuela has attracted international aid and attention, but the heatwave, while less visible and abrupt, may result in even greater loss of life. It has also severely disrupted daily life, causing lane closures on roads, buckling train tracks, damaging power infrastructure, impairing medical equipment, and forcing nuclear plants to shut down due to regulatory temperature limits.
Recent daytime temperatures would have been impossible during the 1976 European heatwave and were ten times less likely during the 2003 heatwave, underscoring the role of rising greenhouse gas concentrations in exacerbating these extremes.
Similar patterns are emerging worldwide, including in Australia, where early indications suggest the southern continent may experience its warmest winter on record. The ski season has already depended heavily on artificial snow. The recently declared El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean may accelerate these trends in the coming months.
An Unexpected Climate Catalyst: Donald Trump
Amidst these challenges, a surprising figure has emerged as an inadvertent catalyst for climate progress: former US President Donald J. Trump. His mismanagement of tensions involving Iran and Israel has prompted renewed discussions on achieving energy independence from global fossil fuel markets.
While some short-term decisions have supported increased use of fossil fuels, there is growing emphasis on expanding clean energy and electrification to enhance energy security and reduce costs.
This transition was already underway. In 2025, renewable energy sources—solar, wind, and hydro—surpassed coal-fired power for the first time, accounting for one-third of global electricity generation. Including nuclear power, which is zero emissions though not renewable, non-fossil fuel generation reached 42%.
Solar energy is expanding rapidly, with a 30% growth in 2025—the largest annual increase ever recorded for any electricity source. Battery storage capacity, essential for managing variable solar and wind power, grew by 66% from a smaller base.
The drivers of solar’s growth are straightforward: it is cost-effective, increasingly accessible to consumers, and does not depend on imported fuels. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently highlighted that solar and battery costs have dropped by 85% over the past 15 years, while wind energy costs have fallen by 70%. He described renewables as the world’s "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 Renewable Energy Advances
In Pakistan, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate impacts, solar capacity has increased more than tenfold in four years as gas power became unreliable and grid electricity costs soared. Solar now contributes 10% of the country’s electricity, prompting government plans to expand solar installations further this financial year.
Within the European Union, solar and wind energy accounted for approximately 30% of electricity generation in 2025, up from 19% in 2021. The fossil fuel price shocks following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine accelerated this shift. According to the think tank Ember, solar capacity in the EU doubled between 2021 and 2025, with renewables now representing 48% of total electricity generation and fossil fuels declining to 29%.
In the United States, despite political opposition from Trump and the Republican Party and a temporary rebound in coal generation, the economics of solar and battery storage are prevailing. These technologies accounted for 91% of new generation capacity in the first quarter of 2025, and May marked the first month in which solar provided more electricity than coal.
China remains a unique case, consuming more electricity than the US, Europe, and India combined, and adding more renewable capacity than the rest of the world combined. Coal’s share of China’s power mix has decreased from about 80% two decades ago to approximately 50% today. While China continues to build new coal plants, many operate intermittently. The country also leads globally in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and sales, with two-thirds of cars and at least 25% of heavy vehicles sold in China this year expected to be electric. Globally, EVs are projected to represent 27% of vehicle sales in 2025, up from 9% five years prior, with further acceleration anticipated.
India’s Delhi government recently announced plans to ban fossil-fueled small trucks and three-wheelers starting next year, followed by scooters and motorbikes within two years, permitting only electric models. In Africa, Ethiopia has already implemented similar measures to reduce fuel costs.
Challenges and the Path Forward
Despite these advances, the scale of the challenge remains immense. Global emissions have yet to decline, and much of the new clean energy capacity serves growing demand rather than replacing fossil fuels. Fossil fuel interests and their supporters continue to resist the transition.
Nonetheless, the rapid growth in solar energy, electric transportation, and energy storage highlights the importance of electrification in combating the climate crisis. This approach is gaining traction among governments, businesses, researchers, and activists worldwide.
Electrification is a straightforward concept: electricity can meet approximately 75% of global energy needs with current technology. It is more efficient and less polluting than burning fossil fuels and is increasingly sourced from clean, cost-effective energy.
This progress offers qualified optimism and could serve as the foundation for ongoing efforts to address this defining global challenge.
Adam Morton is Australia’s climate and environment editor.
