Since the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, solar and wind power have grown at a phenomenal pace, yet coal, oil and gas remain dominant. The United Nations COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, will test the political will of states to organize a phase-out of fossil fuels.
On one hand, low-carbon technologies have rolled out at a spectacular pace, a largely irreversible trend unimaginable just a few years ago. On the other hand, the energy system has remained overwhelmingly dominated by coal, oil and gas. According to the United Nations (UN), the share of fossil fuels in global energy supply has only declined by 3% in the past decade, from 83% in 2015 to 80% in 2024.
