What ‘energy transition’? Global fossil fuel use is accelerating and set to get even worse

What ‘energy transition’? Global fossil fuel use is accelerating and set to get even worse

LONDON “” The world's dependency on fossil fuels is likely to get even worse in the coming decades, exacerbating the risk of a climate catastrophe as world leaders and CEOs repeatedly tout their commitment to the so-called "energy transition."Policymakers are under intensifying pressure to deliver on promises made as part of the Paris Agreement ahead of this year's COP26, due to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in early November.Yet, even as politicians and business leaders publicly acknowledge the necessity of transitioning to a low-carbon society, hopes of limiting global warming “” and meeting a crucial global target “” are quickly deteriorating.Almost 200 countries ratified the Paris climate accord at COP21, agreeing to pursue efforts to limit the planet's temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It remains a key focus ahead of COP26, although some climate scientists now believe that hitting this target is already "virtually impossible."

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that human-caused warming as a result of past and ongoing emissions is adding roughly 0.2 degrees Celsius to global average temperatures every decade. And, if this continues, the IPCC has forecast that warming is likely to hit 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052.To