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Energy crisis threatens world’s most vulnerable as cooking fuel shortages grow
…billion people across the developing world use LPG as their primary source of energy for cooking. As of 2025, 30% of all seaborne LPG exports transited through the Strait of Hormuz. Developing Asia accounts for the largest share of LPG use for cooking, with almost 2.4 billion people using it as their main cooking fuel. India and Indonesia have relied heavily on LPG in successful campaigns to expand clean cooking access, shifting more than 800 million people away from using wood, charcoal, kerosene and other harmful fuels since 2010. Today, 90% of Indonesian households rely on LPG for cooking…
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655 million people still living without electricity underscore urgent need to deliver on universal energy access target
…scaled-up action, the world will fall short of achieving SDG 7 to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030. Moreover, while the current global energy crisis is still unfolding, its impact on energy markets and the broader economy are expected to be significant.In this context, accelerating domestic renewable energy deployment is increasingly seen as essential both for strengthening energy security and affordability as well as advancing long-term climate and development objectives. Distributed renewable energy solutions, including off-grid solar and mini-grids, are a cost-effective solution for electricity access, already serving…
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Clean Cooking Alliance to integrate into the IEA in major step forward for international cooperation on clean cooking access
…that more than 2 billion people lack access to clean cooking, relying instead on wood, charcoal, and other polluting fuels that pose serious health risks. The problem is most acute in Africa, where four in five households still lack access. The absence of clean cooking contributes to 2.5 million premature deaths annually, primarily affecting women and children, and requires families to spend an average of nearly four hours per day gathering fuel and preparing meals. It is also a major driver of deforestation.The CCA, founded in 2010, works to accelerate universal access to clean cooking by partnering on…
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Decision makers discuss strategies for achieving energy priorities at COP31-IEA High-Level Dialogue in London
…supporting energy system resilience – including the potential benefits of halving the growth of global waste. They also discussed how governments, industry and the financial sector can work together to expand access to electricity and clean cooking by tackling key barriers such as the cost of capital and infrastructure investment.“Amid the current energy crisis, governments around the world are rethinking their energy strategies – and this dialogue provided an important opportunity for decision makers to share views on approaches to improve energy security, affordability and sustainability in tandem,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “As the strategic partner to the COP31...
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Thematic session: Energy efficiency supporting remote and rural communities
…benefits reach all regions and communities.Remote and rural communities face particular challenges due to geographic, economic and infrastructural constraints that can limit access to affordable and reliable energy. Energy efficiency can help reduce costs, strengthen resilience and improve access to reliable energy services.Across the globe, governments are already advancing impactful initiatives, including energy-efficient retrofits, decentralised energy systems, utility-led electricity savings programmes, grid solutions and capacity-building efforts. These experiences demonstrate the value of policy frameworks that prioritise affordability and accessibility while integrating local knowledge and lived experience, including that of Indigenous Peoples.At the same time…
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Thematic session: Demand-side energy data for improving lives
…effective tools to support affordability, energy security and competitiveness. The 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency will bring together global leaders to accelerate policy action at this critical moment. The availability, quality, and use of demand-side energy data are essential enablers of effective energy efficiency policy.As clean energy transitions accelerate, understanding energy consumption across end uses, sectors and population groups is increasingly important, yet, demand-side energy data remains limited, particularly in the emerging economies. This limitation constrains government's ability to design targeted policies, support planning and address challenges such as energy access and heat stress…
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Global shocks have driven a surge in energy policy activity and government spending
…sharpening governments’ focus on energy security, resilience and affordability – and driving public spending on energy significantly higher – according to a new IEA report.The report, State of Energy Policy 2026, provides a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind review of global energy policy changes in 2025. Drawing on the IEA’s Global Energy Policies Hub – the world’s most extensive public repository of energy policies – it tracks more than 6 500 policy measures across 84 countries. The report highlights changes in more than 200 areas of energy policymaking, including government spending, emergency stockholding, energy access, energy regulation and climate pledges.Government…
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COP31-IEA High-Level Energy Transition Dialogue
…implementation of their energy goals in the context of the Middle East crisis, energy market volatility, supply chain pressures, rising energy demand and heightened energy security concerns. Discussions will also focus on key levers to boost energy security, affordability and sustainability, including electrification, waste reduction, and advancing clean cooking and energy access.This year’s High-Level Dialogue series builds on those convened in previous years, starting with the COP28 Presidency of the United Arab Emirates in 2023 and continuing with the COP29 Presidency of Azerbaijan and the COP30 Presidency of Brazil. COP31-IEA High-Level Energy Transition Dialogue Factsheets
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Executive Director hosts Prime Minister of Thailand at IEA headquarters for discussion on key energy issues
…vast majority of oil and gas exports transiting the Strait. They also spoke about what reduced access to fertilizers could mean for the region’s food security.Prime Minister Charnvirakul was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ekniti Nitithanprapas. Together with Dr Birol, they spoke about how the IEA and Thailand could work together even more closely in the future, highlighting energy security and affordability as key areas of focus. Thailand is currently a member of the IEA Family as…
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Governments around the world commit to making energy efficiency a cornerstone of energy policy amid Strait of Hormuz crisis
…they contend with impacts of Middle East war Dozens of governments from across the globe issued a joint statement today agreeing to make energy efficiency a cornerstone of energy policy, recognising its critical role in building resilience against future energy shocks, improving affordability for consumers and boosting economic competitiveness.Meeting at the IEA’s 11th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Montreal, co-hosted by the Government of Canada, ministers and senior officials from all continents said recent disruptions to global energy markets following the war in the Middle East had reinforced the need to accelerate energy efficiency as…
