Clean energy costs drop below fossil fuels as UN urges rapid shift
The United Nations secretary general called on governments to abandon fossil fuels and speed investment in renewables, citing record-low costs and rising energy demands from heat and technology.
Fiona Harvey reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- Solar and wind energy projects now outcompete fossil fuels on cost, with renewables attracting $2 trillion in investment last year — $800 billion more than fossil fuels.
- António Guterres warned that rising power use, particularly from AI data centers and cooling needs in hotter climates, risks blowing past the 1.5C warming target if met with fossil fuels.
- Global infrastructure remains a bottleneck, with grid investment lagging behind renewable generation and critical mineral supply chains under strain.
Key quote:
“The greatest threat to energy security today is fossil fuels. They leave economies and people at the mercy of price shocks, supply disruptions, and geopolitical turmoil. There are no price spikes for sunlight. No embargos on wind.”
— António Guterres, United Nations secretary general
Why this matters:
The collapse in renewable energy costs is upending the decades-old argument that cleaner power is too expensive. Solar and wind are now cheaper than coal, gas, and oil, yet fossil fuels still dominate grids and government subsidies. As heat records shatter and energy-hungry technologies like AI push demand higher, the stakes are no longer only environmental but economic and geopolitical. Nations that fail to pivot face volatile fuel prices and supply shocks, while those that invest in renewables gain resilience and independence. This shift will also decide whether global warming can stay near 1.5C, the threshold scientists say avoids catastrophic health and ecosystem disruptions.
Related: Solar is no longer alternative energy—it's the new default
