Green energy can't yet bend climate curve

📌 Summary:

• Context: In 2025, renewables (solar, wind, hydro) globally edged out fossil fuels as the predominant source of power for the first time; India and China led clean-energy additions
• Core argument: Despite record clean-energy growth, it is still not enough to check the rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Key data: Human activity pushed global warming to 1.37°C in 2025 per the Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) report (journal Earth System Science Data)
• Causal chain — why renewables aren't enough: (1) unlike power and transport, large parts of industry remain fossil-fuel driven; (2) transitioning to alternatives like green hydrogen takes time and heavy investment; (3) sustainable equipment carries high upfront costs; (4) integrating green tech with legacy systems needs R&D
• Solutions proposed: national policies to nudge manufacturers toward energy-efficient machines, recyclable materials (e.g. recycled aluminium uses far less energy) and waste minimisation; academia-government and inter-government cooperation
• International angle: 'know-how transfer has been the Achilles heel of global warming mitigation' — technology transfer between nations remains the binding constraint

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Environment) — energy transition, decarbonising industry, and limits of renewables in meeting climate targets.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Global warming reached 1.37°C in 2025 (IGCC report)
• IGCC findings published in Earth System Science Data
• Recycled aluminium needs far less energy than primary aluminium

🔑 Key Term: Green hydrogen — hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable electricity, a key route to decarbonising hard-to-abate industry.