The amount of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants likely peaked in 2023, according to the annual global electricity review by energy think tank Ember. That means human civilization has likely passed a key turning point, according to Ember: countries will likely never generate as much electricity from fossil fuels again.
“After two decades of building such a heavy reliance on gas power, the US has a big journey ahead to get to a truly clean power system.” The US gets just 23 percent of its electricity from renewable energy, according to Ember, falling below the global average of 30 percent. President Joe Biden set a goal of reaching 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and signed into law the nation’s largest investment in clean energy and climate to date with the Inflation Reduction Act.