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Photo by Nadeem Rawan/Shutterstock |
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Renewables made up more than one-third of global electricity in 2025 — and solar and wind are now growing faster than any other power source. Yet misinformation about renewable energy’s cost, reliability and impact is everywhere, making it hard to separate the truth from the noise.
Are renewables reliable without sun or wind? Do they lower bills? Are wind turbines a threat to birds? Using the latest data, we answer the most common questions about renewable energy to help make sense of where clean energy stands today, and where it's heading. |
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Photo by Hugh Kenny/Piedmont Environmental Council |
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A Virginia farm is growing food and generating clean energy on the same land. Its 42 solar panels produce enough electricity to fully power the farm. As U.S. farmland faces rising development pressure, “agrivoltaics” like this could help farmers reduce energy costs and keep their land in production. |
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Photo by Andrew Coelho/Unsplash
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Humans have pumped more than 2 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. Cutting emissions isn't enough. We'll also need to pull carbon back out of the sky. We break down six ways scientists are working to do it. |
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Photo by rweisswald/iStock |
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A new UN report warns the world is likely to cross the 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) threshold set by the Paris Agreement within the next few years. Amid political uncertainty, the Paris Agreement faces its toughest period to date — and remains as crucial for climate action as ever. |
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A new United Nations Environment Programme report finds that global temperatures are set to cross 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F), likely within the next few years, pushing climate risks to increasingly dangerous levels. But the report also finds that temperatures can still be brought back down in line with the Paris Agreement if countries make deep emissions cuts, scale up carbon removal and act urgently on adaptation and resilience.
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"Crossing 1.5°C is no longer a distant possibility. Extreme heat, floods, fires and droughts are already giving us a glimpse of what a hotter world brings: homes under water, harvests wiped out and communities still rebuilding when the next disaster strikes ... How far temperatures rise, how long they stay there and how much damage is done still depends enormously on what countries do now — and there's a way to do it that's low-carbon and climate-resilient and delivers growth rather than locking in greater risk."
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— David Waskow
— Director of WRI's International Climate Initiative |
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Coal remains the single largest source of global electricity at 34%, outpacing wind and solar combined (17%). |
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| Every time someone in Wyoming turns on the tap, there’s a good chance their drinking water begins in a forest.
Encampment is the first town in the state to tap clean water funding for proactive forest restoration. It's one way of protecting its only water source from ash and debris that come from wildfires, which could leave the community without reliable or safe drinking water for up to five years. |
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