Reporting on progress towards key global objectives

Recent United Nations Climate Change Conferences have set out a growing number of goals for the energy sector.

The foundation of these goals is the COP28 Global Stocktake outcome agreed in Dubai. In it, nearly 200 countries called for accelerating efforts towards net zero emission energy systems by around mid-century, and they set several goals for 2030, including tripling global renewable energy capacity, doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvements, and accelerating action to transition away from fossil fuels. Subsequent COPs have added to this agenda: COP29 in Baku brought new commitments on grids and energy storage, and COP30 in Belém produced a pledge to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels by 2035.

These goals take different forms, from collectively agreed outcomes to voluntary initiatives; many are closely linked. For example, faster renewables deployment depends on the expansion of grids and storage. Tracking these goals together helps identify where progress in one area depends on another.

Building on its longstanding engagement at successive COPs, the IEA worked closely with the COP28, COP29 and COP30 Presidencies, and it is a strategic partner to the Türkiye COP31 Presidency and to Australia as President of Negotiations. As part of this work, the Agency – in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat – tracks progress towards these energy goals.

For each goal, this page shows where the world stands today and what is needed to align with the outcomes and commitments of recent COPs. The page will continue to be updated as new data become available.

In 2025, new renewables installations hit record levels for the 23rd consecutive year. Around 800 gigawatts (GW) of total renewable capacity was added globally. Currently, renewable capacity worldwide is set to be at 2.6 times the 2022 level by 2030. However, faster implementation of competitive auctions, timely and increased grid investment, the expansion of battery storage, and permitting reforms could bring the tripling target within reach.

The Renewables 2026 report explores the deployment of renewable energy technologies in electricity generation and provides the latest forecasts through 2031. The latest edition of our Renewable Energy Progress Tracker allows users to dig into historical data and projections at the regional and country level.

Governments agreed at COP28 to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. Using 2022 as a baseline, that would require annual progress to average more than 4% per year by 2030. According to the latest IEA data, energy intensity – a key measure of efficiency – improved by less than 2% in 2025. 

Explore the Energy Efficiency 2025 report for more analysis, plus the IEA’s Energy Efficiency Policy Toolkit for the latest guidance for governments on effective policies and best practices. The IEA will host its 12th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Dublin in 2027, complementing its programme of Energy Efficiency Training Weeks.

Grids are the bridge between power generation and end-use demand. Without resilient and modern networks, delivering secure, affordable and low-emissions electricity remains out of reach. Grid investments have not yet kept pace with generation, resulting in growing bottlenecks.

Battery storage is also a key enabler. It provides the short-term flexibility needed to integrate rising shares of variable renewables. Batteries can also provide ancillary services – such as synthetic inertia, frequency regulation and voltage support – and, when placed strategically, they can relieve grid congestion and defer some network investment.

At COP29, many countries and jurisdictions committed to develop or modernize 25 million kilometres of grid infrastructure by 2030 and deploy 1,500 GW of energy storage. On a pathway to triple renewables by 2030, the world requires almost 100 million kilometres of transmission and distribution lines overall, and battery storage capacity increases fivefold.

The Electricity 2026 report provides insights on grid needs as renewables deployment and electricity demand both grow. Modernising Grids in the Age of Electricity provides details on how grid-enhancing technologies and digitalisation can expand the use of existing electricity networks. The Global Energy Review 2026 also highlights the rapid pace at which battery storage systems are being installed globally.

Sustainable liquid and gaseous fuels complement efforts to accelerate electrification and improve energy efficiency. They matter most where direct electrification is technically difficult or too costly, such as in aviation, shipping, and parts of the road transport and industrial sectors. Global demand for these fuels doubled between 2010 and 2024 to reach almost 7 exajoules (EJ), about 1.3% of total final energy consumption. This reduced oil demand by about 2.5 million barrels per day.

The Belém 4X Pledge on Sustainable Fuels, which dre27Textaddexpandmore-dots TitleEN TextENbolditalicunderlinelinkuloltableundoredoSustainable liquid and gaseous fuels complement efforts to accelerate electrification and improve energy efficiency. They matter most where direct electrification is technically difficult or too costly, such as in aviation, shipping, and parts of the road transport and industrial sectors. Global demand for these fuels doubled between 2010 and 2024 to reach almost 7 exajoules (EJ), about 1.3% of total final energy consumption. This reduced oil demand by about 2.5 million barrels per day.The Belém 4X Pledge on Sustainable Fuels, which drew commitments from more than 20 countries, targets a fourfold increase in global sustainable fuel use by 2035. Demand would almost double by 2030 and reach above 30 EJ by 2035.Explore the report Delivering Sustainable Fuels: Pathways to 2035, which details the technology and infrastructure requirements for scaling up the deployment of sustainable fuels and highlights the resulting benefits for emissions and energy security. A new report also tracks progress towards the pledge in the first year.Source code w commitments from more than 20 countries, targets a fourfold increase in global sustainable fuel use by 2035. Demand would almost double by 2030 and reach above 30 EJ by 2035.

Explore the report Delivering Sustainable Fuels: Pathways to 2035, which details the technology and infrastructure requirements for scaling up the deployment of sustainable fuels and highlights the resulting benefits for emissions and energy security. A new report also tracks progress towards the pledge in the first year.

Electricity generated worldwide from coal – the largest single source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activity – remained close to all-time highs in 2025. Yet as growth plateaued, coal-related emissions decreased in some major economies. Meeting global climate goals, however, would require coal use by the power sector to decline much more rapidly.

Learn more in the Coal Mid-Year Update 2026, which offers a look at the latest trends in coal markets, while the Global  Energy Review 2026 examines recent developments in coal-fired electricity generation and related emissions.

To keep the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C within reach, the first Global Stocktake recognised that the energy sector needs to reach net zero emissions by 2050, utilising zero- and low-carbon fuels well before or by around mid-century.

Strong growth in low-emissions energy technologies has limited annual increases in energy-related CO2 emissions in recent years. However, these emissions still rose to a record high in 2025.

Our Global Energy Review 2026 provides an update on recent trends in energy-related emissions.

COP28 marked the first time that nearly 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems – with action accelerating to 2030 in order to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. On this pathway, fossil fuel demand would need to decline substantially by the end of the decade, enabled by rapid growth in clean energy.

The Global Energy Review 2026 provides an overview of the latest trends in energy demand and the role of fossil fuels in the global energy mix in 2025.

The Global Stocktake stipulated that the transition away from fossil fuels must be just, orderly and equitable. There are many metrics that can be used to assess whether transitions meet these standards. Though none capture the entire picture, a few important data points worth monitoring are provided here.

Clean energy investment in emerging and developing economies including China needs to triple from 2022 levels by 2030 on a pathway to net zero by 2050. However, projects in these countries often struggle to access affordable financing compared with advanced economies, and this can impede the pace at which spending grows.

To achieve orderly and secure transitions, it is also important to sequence the scaling up of investment in clean energy and the decline in investment in fossil fuel supplies in order to avoid damaging price spikes or stranded assets.

The IEA's modelling also incorporates pathways towards achieving universal energy access by 2030, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). About 730 million people around the world live without electricity, while nearly 2 billion people use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking – with serious negative consequences for health, economic development, gender equity and the climate.

Additionally, it is crucial to maximise the number of high-quality jobs linked to the evolving energy economy. On a pathway aligned with achieving COP goals, the global energy sector employs close to 20% more workers in 2035 than it did in 2024 – though jobs may not always be in the same location or require the same skills. This makes it essential to substantially expand support for job training and capacity building in order to ensure that energy transitions benefit as many people as possible.

The World Energy Investment 2026 report provides a comprehensive look at the energy investment landscape, while more details on what is needed from the private sector can be found in the report Scaling Up Private Finance for Clean Energy in Emerging and Developing Economies developed with the International Finance Corporation. The report Reducing the Cost of Capital includes recommendations for improving access to financing in emerging economies. Explore the latest analysis on Clean Cooking in Africa, and learn more about delivering universal energy access in the World Energy Outlook series.

The latest data on energy sector employment can be found in the World Energy Employment 2025 report. The Global Observatory on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions provides a repository of best practices on people-centred and inclusive programmes and policies.

The first Global Stocktake noted that the full range of zero- and low-emissions technologies is needed to reach net zero emissions by mid-century. These include renewables; nuclear; abatement and removal technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), particularly in sectors where emissions are hard to abate; and low-emissions hydrogen.

Low-emissions hydrogen and CCUS capacity (including for direct air capture) rise strongly on a pathway aligned with COP goals. Nuclear power is a more mature technology, though capacity also needs to increase strongly by 2030 to reach net zero emissions by mid-century.

Explore the IEA’s report The Path to a New Era for Nuclear Energy and Global Energy Review 2026 for the latest trends in nuclear deployment. The report Financing CCUS at Scale provides recommendations on how to rapidly mobilise private capital, published with a handbook on building commercial markets for CCUS and tracking of current projects in the CCUS database. The latest analysis on hydrogen can be found in the annual Global Hydrogen Review 2026, while a complementary database tracks active projects and infrastructure development.

The first Global Stocktake calls for substantially reducing non-carbon-dioxide emissions globally and emphasises the need to cut methane emissions this decade in particular.

Record global production of oil, gas and coal – along with limited mitigation efforts to date – kept methane emissions from fossil fuels worldwide above 120 million tonnes annually in 2025. However, efforts to bolster data collection and monitor methane leaks are making progress.

Learn more in the Global Methane Tracker 2026 and explore a data repository and regulatory toolkit on reducing methane emissions from oil, gas and coal sector activities.

The first Global Stocktake calls for accelerating the reduction of emissions from road transport, including through the development of public transport infrastructure and the rapid deployment of zero- and low-emissions vehicles.

Among multiple technical solutions to reduce emissions from road transport, electrification is playing a growing role. Global sales of electric cars rose by 20% in 2025, surpassing 20 million units and accounting for one-quarter of all car sales. However, to enable an absolute reduction in emissions in the sector, adoption must continue to spread more broadly around the world.

The Global EV Outlook 2026 – and a more recent supplement, Electric Car Markets in a Time of Uncertainty – set out the latest data and outlooks. The Global EV Data Explorer also provides regional and country-level data.

The first Global Stocktake calls for phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions as soon as possible.

At the height of the 2022 energy crisis, fossil fuel subsidies soared. Those for natural gas and electricity consumption more than doubled compared with 2021, while oil subsidies rose by around 85%. The total value of subsidies declined in 2023 and 2024 as some government provisions expired. Many others are tied directly to energy prices, which pulled back from record highs in many parts of the world during this period.

Explore the IEA’s Fossil Fuel Subsidies Database for more information on consumption subsidies in select countries through 2024.

Following the submission of a new round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that set out national targets for 2035, the focus is shifting to how countries can implement their plans. At the same time, the second Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement is underway. It begins at COP31 in November 2026 with a period of information collection, followed by a technical assessment from June 2027 and concluding at COP33 in 2028. As with the first Global Stocktake, its outcome will inform Parties in updating and enhancing their commitments to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement in a nationally determined manner.

The Climate Pledges Explorer tracks existing NDCs and net zero targets for more than 190 countries. The interactive database, which also lays out what each country’s NDC implies for energy sector emissions, is updated regularly.

The IEA is working and sharing data, analysis and policy advice with governments to support the implementation of current NDCs and to inform the second Global Stocktake.