-
Ensuring a Strong Labour Dimension for Just and Inclusive Energy Transitions Just and Inclusive Energy Transitions
Workers play a critical role in the global energy system, providing key services across many areas of the energy sector. To give a greater voice to the labour perspective in energy and climate policy discussions, the IEA Executive Director convened the Clean Energy Labour Council in 2022. The Labour Council is made up of representatives of the world’s most important national trade unions and trade union confederations, as well as prominent thinkers on the topic, to foster engagement between the IEA, energy policy makers, and the labour movement.One of the main topics for the IEA Clean Energy Labour…
-
World Energy Outlook 2022 Outlook for liquid fuels
The situation for oil markets today could hardly be more different from what it was in 2020. Two years ago, lockdowns imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic caused a huge oversupply of oil, leading prices to collapse to an average of USD 44/barrel. Today, global supply is struggling to keep pace with demand, with many producers bumping up against capacity constraints and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sharply accentuating market tightness. Prices have soared to an average of USD 105/barrel so far in 2022.Global oil use is subject to sharply conflicting pressures. Some sectors, notably aviation, are…
-
Renewables 2021 Renewable heat
Recent trends Global progress on conversion to renewable heat has been limited Heat is the world’s largest energy end use, accounting for almost half of global final energy consumption in 2021, significantly more than electricity (20%) and transport (30%). Industrial processes are responsible for 51% of the energy consumed for heat, while another 46% is consumed in buildings for space and water heating, and, to a lesser extent, cooking. The remainder is used in agriculture, primarily for greenhouse heating. Global heat demand declined by 2% in 2020, primarily due to the curtailment of economic activity as a result of…
-
Northwest European Hydrogen Monitor 2025 Executive summary
Low-emissions hydrogen can play a significant role in decarbonising energy systems and is critical to many countries’ efforts to meet their energy and climate targets. It can also reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports over the longer-term, bolstering energy security.Northwest Europe is at the forefront of low-emissions hydrogen development. The region accounts for around 40% of Europe’s total hydrogen demand. It has vast and untapped renewable energy potential in the North Sea, as well as substantial carbon storage capabilities. The region has a well-developed, interconnected gas network and underground storage sites that could be…
-
The Future of Electricity in the Middle East and North Africa Executive summary
A cornerstone of global energy supply and, increasingly, demand The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is at a pivotal moment in its energy journey. The region has long been a cornerstone of the global energy system. In 2024, it supplied over 30% of the world’s oil and nearly 20% of its natural gas. At the same time, it is emerging as a major centre of electricity demand growth, driven by a rapidly expanding population, urbanisation, rising living standards, and accelerating climate pressures. Between 2000 and 2024, electricity demand tripled – increasing by more than 1 000 terawatt-hours (TWh…
-
Energy and AI Executive summary
The transformative potential of AI depends on energy There has been a step change in the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), driven by falling computation costs, a surge in data availability and technical breakthroughs. AI is the science of making machines capable of learning to perform tasks that traditionally required human intelligence. AI is emerging as a general-purpose technology, much like electricity. Today, it can generate text and videos, accelerate scientific discovery in fields like medicine or materials science, make manufacturing robots smarter and more productive, drive commercial taxis in complex city landscapes, and detect threats to critical infrastructure…
-
Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2026 Executive summary
Southeast Asia is a very dynamic region that is set to be a major driver of global energy demand growth, but the Middle East conflict has provided a stark wake-up call for the region’s energy system. Southeast Asia accounts for 9% of the world’s population and 4% of its GDP, but nearly 20% of global energy demand growth to 2035 under today’s policy settings. The disruption in global fuel markets has exposed deep structural vulnerabilities linked to import dependence, limited diversification and concentrated supply routes. Before the crisis, around 60% of Southeast Asia’s imports of…
-
Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane Key findings
Biogases are a hidden solution to many of today’s energy security and sustainability challenges. They turn waste into sustainable, low-emissions fuels. The attraction of biogases lies in the integration of energy, environment, waste and emissions policies and targets. Biogas can be used directly as heat by households and industry, and to produce electricity. Biomethane, which is an upgraded form of biogas, is a locally sourced, drop-in substitute for natural gas. This report assesses the global potential and costs of developing biogas and biomethane using a first-of-a-kind geospatial analysis. It provides detailed country- and region…
-
Scaling Up Transition Finance Sectoral insights
Where can transition finance be applied? This chapter provides an analysis of investments that can be supported by transition finance in three important areas – heavy industry, critical minerals and natural gas – building on the preceding assessment of investments and providing illustrative cases and non-exhaustive key performance indicator (KPI) examples to underpin transition strategies.As with the investment amounts highlighted in Chapter 1 that can be supported by transition finance, inclusion here does not automatically render an activity eligible for transition finance, since such eligibility depends on meeting the relevant process requirements. Equally, the absence of an activity from this…
-
Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 Overview of outlook for key minerals
Demand for critical minerals continues to rise across all scenarios, driven by the rapid deployment of energy technologies Demand for key energy minerals is set to grow rapidly across all scenarios, with the largest source of growth coming from the energy sector. In the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), lithium grows fivefold from today to 2040, while graphite and nickel demand double. Demand for cobalt and rare earth elements also grows strongly, increasing 50-60% by 2040. Copper is the material with the largest established market, and its demand is projected to grow by 30% over the same period. Battery deployment…
