According to a study by the Energy Institute, global consumption of fossil fuels has increased by 8% from 2017 to 2025, notwithstanding advancements in energy efficiency and the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources.
Throughout this time frame, the need for natural gas increased by almost 15%, coal by 7%, and oil by 5%. Emissions of greenhouse gases associated with energy consumption rose by nearly 1% annually on average.
Simultaneously, 83% of the nations included in the study have decreased the energy intensity of their economies since 2017, and 86% have enhanced the carbon intensity of their energy consumption. The study relies on information from the 80 largest nations that consume energy, collectively representing more than 96% of worldwide energy use and 95% of emissions.
The adoption of renewable energy, such as hydropower, increased by over 60% from 2017 to 2025. Despite this rise being noted in 74 out of the 79 countries studied, renewable sources still represented only approximately 8.6% of worldwide energy demand in 2025.
France has achieved the most substantial advancements in reducing carbon emissions from its power sector: low-carbon and carbon-free sources currently supply 95% of the nation’s electricity generation, with nuclear energy representing 68% of that total. In Brazil, the figure corresponds to 89%.
A main insight from this year’s Country Transition Tracker report is that a consistent, singular global energy transition is not occurring at the same speed in every location. Advancements are genuine particularly in energy efficiency, carbon intensity, and renewable energy development, but they vary among countries and across various segments of the energy system.
source: enegryinst.org
