The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 9 2013/4) makes it clear that, if we plan to keep the rise in average global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius when compared to preindustrial levels, humans will have to move away from using fossil fuels by 2050 at the latest. For the past two centuries and a half, the rising demand for energy has mostly been met by fossil fuels. To mitigate the risks involved in climate change it is essential that the world moves quickly to low-carbon, climate resilient energy infrastructure.
The good news is that this transition is possible if policies at the local, national and global are mobilizes to promote clean energy. It also makes good economic sense. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that every additional dollar which is invested in clean energy can generate three dollars in future fuel savings by 2050. 
It is important to remember that the growth of renewable energy over the past decade has been remarkable and has passed all expectations. Projections made at the turn of the century about the growth of renewable energy in 2020 were actually surpassed by 2010. In addition, the cost of most green technologies has decreased substantially during the last decade, while policies which support this option have spread across the globe. A combination of continued technological innovation, falling prices and smart financing options, has made renewable affordable for a broad range of customers around the world. In 2013, the growth in the renewable power sector grew by 8 percent above the previous year exceeding 1,560 gigawatts (GW). Solar PV continued to expand at a rapid pace, with the growth in global capacity averaging almost 55 percent annually over the past five years. Wind power has added the most capacity in terms of renewable technologies. It accounted for 56 percent of net addition over the same period. Because of falling costs in both the wind and, especially the photo voltaic sector, many of these installations are being built without public financial support.
Some of the data from 2013 is very positive:
In the European Union, renewables represented the majority of new electricity generating capacity for the sixth consecutive year. Combined renewables accounted for 72 percent of new capacity, which is a massive improvement on 10 years earlier when conventional fossil generation accounted for 80 percent of the new capacity.
China’s new renewable power capacity surpassed new fossil fuel and nuclear capacity for the first time.
In Japan investment in renewable energy (excluding research and development) increased by 80 percent relative to 2012 levels.
Thousands of cities and towns worldwide have policies, plans and targets to advance renewables, often far outpacing the ambitions of national governments.
Some spin-off benefits are the number of people employed in the renewable sector. In 2013 stood at 6.5 million world-wide working directly or indirectly in the sector.
However, despite the good news we need to move fast. Renewable energy provided an estimated 19 percent of energy consumption in 2012. Of that total modern renewable accounted for approximately 10 percent, with the remainder coming from traditional biomass. (There is a major debate about the sustainability of traditional biomass, and whether it should be considered a renewable source of energy, unless the biomass comes from sustainable sources).
It is worrying that global new investment in renewable power and fuels – not including hydropower – was down 14 percent relative to 2012 and 23 percent relative to 2011 which was a record year. While the outlook for renewable is positive, if we are to move completely from using fossil fuels by 2050, we need to accelerate the growth of the renewable sector using all the means at our disposal.
Columban Fr Sean McDonagh is a researcher on justice and peace issues and the ecological challenge. Fr Sean is based in Ireland.
Columbans report direct from COP 20 in Peru
Well-known Columban eco-missionary, Fr Sean McDonagh is reporting regularly from the COP 20 negotiations in Lima, Peru, as an observer.
- Day One: Challenges faced at COP 20
- Day Two: COP 20: Should we be aiming at 1.5 degrees?
- Day Three: COP 20: Climate change and oceans
- Day Four COP 20: Forest sweardship and fair trade
- Significance of Tibet in Climate Change debate
- Marching for Climate Change
- Religions and Climate Change
- Lima’s call for Climate Action
- Columbans attend COP20
- We Need Clean green technologies as quickly as possible
- Rooting out corruption in Climate Financing
- Columbans attend COP20