In 2019, nearly three-quarters of all new energy sources were renewable, the most ever since data collection began in 2001, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The Global Wind Energy Council found that wind power capacity grew by 60.4 gigawatts, or 19%, compared with 2018, in one of the strongest years on record for the global wind power industry.
Up until about 2000 it had been moving southwards towards the Antarctic, affecting storm tracks and rainfall over South America, east Africa and Australia.
The historic decline in CO2 emissions was largely caused by Europe and the US shifting away from coal, resulting in a global 3% decline in coal-fired power generation – the largest drop in 30 years.
A global analysis from the University of Washington shows that nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance.
Between 1990 and 2015, the number of homicides per 100,000 people fell by 46%, with countries in Oceania experiencing a 22% drop over the same period, and 36% in Asia.
The rise in acceptance of LGBT people was particularly marked, rising from about one in four people expressing acceptance a decade ago to almost a third in the latest report.
New solar and onshore wind projects have reached parity with average wholesale power prices in California and parts of Europe, while in China levelised costs are below the benchmark average regulated coal price, according to BloombergNEF.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) new forecast finds that the world’s total renewable-based power capacity will grow by 50 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
The International Energy Agency expects to see growth in solar of over 17% and capacity of 115 gigawatts (GW) by year’s end.
