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Estonia
Estonia has achieved a notable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions thanks mainly to lowering its reliance on electricity generation from domestic oil shale, an energy rich sedimentary rock. However, oil shale remains the main energy source and imported fossil fuels still plan a major role, especially in transport. Estonia’s forests, which historically offset significant greenhouse gas emissions, have become a net emissions source. Estonia is aiming to accelerate its clean energy transition with a target to cover 100% of annual electricity demand with renewables by 2030 as part of a larger package to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It…
- Overview
- Energy mix
- Emissions
- Electricity
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+ 5 pages
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Pledges to Progress 2025
An assessment of transparency of the oil and gas industry’s emissions reduction efforts At COP28, more than 50 of the world’s leading oil and gas companies launched the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), laying out a series of ambitions to achieve net zero operational emissions by 2050. As global methane and flaring emissions continue to rise, these ambitions are more important than ever to reduce energy waste and mitigate the harmful consequences of climate change.To support accountability and transparency, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and…
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Energy Efficiency 2024 How is the dumping of inefficient equipment affecting efficiency progress?
Differing regulatory frameworks open the door to inefficient equipment dumping The efficiency of appliances available for purchase varies substantially across different markets globally. IEA market data shows that between emerging markets alone the differences are very large. For example, the median efficiency of air conditioners in the sub-Saharan Africa region is only 3.1 W/W, while it is 4.7 in Southeast Asia, close to the 5‑6.5 W/W the NZE Scenario foresees by 2030. At the same time, household budgets for the purchase and use of appliances differ strongly due to global wealth and income inequalities. The result…
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Renewables for Industry
Electrification of low-temperature heat and steam Industry is responsible for 30% of global energy consumption, most of which is supplied by fossil fuels. The focus of industrial decarbonisation has largely been on the steel and cement sectors, but significant potential also exists in less energy-intensive sectors such as food and beverages, textiles, chemicals, paper, and other manufacturing activities. These sectors offer some of the most immediate and cost-effective opportunities for industrial decarbonisation and diversification of energy sources. Commercially available electric technologies – including heat pumps, electric boilers and resistance heaters – can meet most heat demand in these subsectors…
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Global Hydrogen Review 2026 Executive summary
The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global production and trade of hydrogen-based products The Middle East is a major producer of hydrogen-based products, and the conflict has strongly impacted their production. The Middle East is home to around one-sixth of global hydrogen production, the majority dedicated to the production of chemicals, fertilisers and refined oil products. The region accounts for more than 10% of global refining capacity, ammonia and urea production, and close to 17% of methanol production. Several refineries and petrochemical plants have halted operations due to supply disruptions and the impossibility of exporting…
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Wind
Wind has significant potential to boost growth in global renewable capacity
Electricity generation from renewables is expected to increase by 60% through 2030 – rising from 9 900 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024 to 16 200 TWh by the end of the decade. Wind accounts for almost a third of growth, second only to solar PV, which accounts for 60%.
Although wind power continues to face supply chain issues, rising costs and permitting delays today, global capacity is still expected to nearly double to over 2 000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 as both advanced and developing economies tackle these barriers.
Around…
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Prospects for Natural Gas Certification
This report offers an overview of the role of certification in natural gas supply chains, provides a broad mapping of existing initiatives, highlights selected regulatory and market developments, identifies areas where improvements may be needed, and presents recommendations to support the development of credible certification frameworks.Certified natural gas refers to gas whose environmental and social attributes – such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance, water use, local community impacts and worker safety – have been independently verified against defined criteria or benchmarks. In 2024, around 7.5% of global natural gas production was certified, with volumes primarily originating from North America…
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State of Energy Policy 2026 Energy efficiency and fuel switching regulations
More than 130 countries have energy efficiency or fuel switching regulations in place, but some were revised, delayed or withdrawn in 2025 Energy use has become more efficient around the world since 2000. Global energy intensity has improved by around 30% over the past 25 years, meaning the world uses about 30% less energy per unit of economic output today than it did in 2000, with differentiated trends by key end uses: passenger cars and air conditioners have notably seen efficiency improvements for new sales of 30% and 45%, respectively since 2005. However, the pace of improvement has slowed over…
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IEA Support to Accelerating Renewable Energy Permitting (ARPE)
Between October 2023 and March 2025, the IEA implemented the “Accelerating Renewable Energy Permitting” (ARPE) action. The goal of ARPE was to support five EU Member states – Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the Slovak Republic (Focus countries) – in developing and implementing policy and regulatory measures aimed at reaching their renewable energy targets, notably through accelerating permitting of renewable energy projects.In support of this objective, the IEA organised and facilitated five workshops focused on the following topics:streamlining administrative proceduresaccelerating offshore wind deploymentfacilitating spatial planning for renewable energy deploymentensuring public engagement and acceptance, and afinal workshop summarizing the project…
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Energy security
Multiple benefits of Energy Efficiency 2025 Energy efficiency provides multiple benefits. This page explores energy security. Why is energy efficiency important for energy security? Energy efficiency can help mitigate energy security risks by reducing the reliance on fossil fuel imports, improving grid reliability, and acting as a buffer to supply shocks. Key facts Efficiency gains from the last two decades avoided the need for 20% more fossil fuel imports in IEA countries. Energy efficiency and demand response can support grid reliability by reducing peak demand. For instance, more efficient air conditioners in India could lower the impact of heatwaves on…
