EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Renewable Energy

    World Falling Short on Energy Transition Targets: IRENA Report

    By: Paige Bennett
    Updated: November 8, 2022
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    Wind turbines producing electricity spin over a solar park in Germany
    Wind turbines producing electricity spin over a solar park near Klettwitz, Germany on Nov. 1, 2022. Sean Gallup / Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    A new report from International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 27, reviews energy targets set around the world and how they are progressing. The findings show that countries are falling short on their energy transition targets. The report also notes that only 12 of the 194 parties in the Paris Agreement have a commitment for a specific percentage of renewables in their total energy mixes.

    In Renewable Energy Targets in 2022: A guide to design, the research shows that globally, countries’ energy transition ambitions are not enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C. By 2030, countries are currently targeting to meet 5.4 terawatts (TW) of renewable energy capacity, but the world needs to meet 10.8 TW of installed renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade to keep warming within the 1.5°C target.

    “IRENA’s report is a warning to the international community telling them that renewables offer a readily achievable climate solution but require immediate action. Climate pledges must enhance ambition to unlock the full and untapped potential of renewables,” IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera said in a statement. “There is a need for real urgency. Despite some progress, the energy transition is far from being on track. Any near-term shortfall in action will further reduce the chance of keeping 1.5°C within reach.”

    Of the 194 participants in the Paris Agreement, 183 included some renewable energy components in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and 143 of those parties had a quantified target. But 108 parties’ targets focus on power, and only 12 parties defined and committed to reaching a specific percentage of renewables in their overall energy composition.

    More From EcoWatch
    • Is Solar Right For Your Home?
    • How to Lower Your Energy Bill
    • How to Conserve Energy

    Another report from IRENA, the World Energy Transitions Outlook, says 90% of decarbonization will require renewable energy. But reaching this outlook by 2050 requires immediate and sufficient action by the end of this decade.

    Reaching these ambitious renewable energy targets isn’t impossible. Countries need to add about 2.3 TW of renewable energy capacity, or about 259 gigawatts (GW) per year, on average, through the end of the decade. In 2020 and 2021, countries collectively added about 261 GW each year.

    The report concludes, “Governments must move rapidly in designing targets that can help achieve the pressing objectives of reducing GHG emissions from burning fossil fuels, limiting dependence on energy imports, achieving universal access to clean, affordable and reliable energy, and meeting other socio-economic goals.”

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Paige Bennett

      Based in Los Angeles, Paige is a writer who is passionate about sustainability. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University and holds a certificate in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She also specialized in sustainable agriculture while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      Meatball Made With Wooly Mammoth DNA Created by Food Company
      The concept of a “mammoth meatball” might conjure up an
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Tornado Outbreak Kills 22 in Mississippi and Alabama
      At least 22 people have died as tornadoes cut a
      By Olivia Rosane
      UK Think Tank Proposes Visas for Climate Migrants
      The climate crisis could force more than one billion people
      By Olivia Rosane

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • Meatball Made With Wooly Mammoth DNA Created by Food Company
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 28, 2023
        • Rewilding Could Help Limit Warming Beyond 1.5°C, Scientists Say
          by Paige Bennett
          March 28, 2023
        • DDT Pollution Dumped off Los Angeles Coast Has Not Broken Down Decades Later, Scientists Find
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 28, 2023
        • Tornado Outbreak Kills 22 in Mississippi and Alabama
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 27, 2023
        • Latex Chemical Spill Contaminates Delaware River, Supplier of More Than Half of Philadelphia’s Water
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 27, 2023
        • CITES Sanctions Mexico as Protections for Vaquita Fall Short
          by Paige Bennett
          March 27, 2023
        • Oyster Mushrooms Could Consume a Million Cigarette Butts in Australia
          by Paige Bennett
          March 27, 2023
        • UK Think Tank Proposes Visas for Climate Migrants
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 26, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more