Climate crisis

Electric bus

Nearly half of new E.U. city buses were zero-emission in 2024

/

49% of all new E.U. city buses were zero-emission in 2024, making city buses one of the early success stories of the European Green Deal. This growth is due to the faster-than-expected uptake in fuel cell buses, making up 3% of new E.U. city buses in 2024. Battery-electric, however, remains by far the dominant powertrain, with a 46% share. This success is due to both the new European regulation last year sending a clear market signal that the days of diesel buses are numbered and city-level policies such as zero-emission zones and fleet targets.

High-speed train

Canada to build massive, fully electric, 185-mph inter-city rail network

/

Canada is set to begin work on a high-speed inter-city rail network – the largest infrastructure project in the country’s history. Spanning 621 miles, the fully electric new rail network will serve 18 million people – nearly half of Canada’s population – across the Toronto-Quebec City corridor. It’s expected to serve 13 times more passengers annually than the current service. Canada is expected to invest nearly $3 billion USD over the next six years to bring the project to light.

Illustration of the concept of nuclear fusion

France runs fusion reactor for record 22 minutes

/

Achieving the dream of commercial fusion power is the Holy Grail of engineering and has been for 80 years. With a single gram of hydrogen isotopes yielding the energy equivalent of 11 tonnes of coal, a practical fusion reactor would hold the promise of unlimited, clean energy for humanity until the end of time. France has upped the ante in the quest for fusion power by maintaining a plasma reaction for over 22 minutes – 25% longer than the previous record set by China in January 2025.

Traffic on freeway

Global sales of combustion engine cars have peaked

/

To decarbonize road transport and achieve global climate goals, the world must move away from petrol and diesel cars and toward electric vehicles and other forms of low-carbon transport. Fortunately, this transition is already well underway, with global sales of combustion engine cars peaking in 2017 or 2018 and now falling. In 2018, global combustion engine cars peaked at more than 80 million. By 2023, sales had fallen below 65 million units as EV sales rose dramatically.

Norwegian flag|Norway fjord

Norway is set to become the first country to fully transition to electric vehicles

/

Despite its vast oil and gas reserves, the Nordic country has long been recognized as a global leader in sustainable transportation. Its EV sales have increased from less than 1% of total auto sales in 2010 to a whopping 88.9% last year — and this trend doesn’t show any sign of slowing. Data published by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration found EVs accounted for more than 96% of new cars sold in the first few weeks of this year. It puts Norway within touching distance of going fully electric — realizing a non-binding goal that was first established by lawmakers back in 2017.

Illustration of the concept of nuclear fusion

China sets new fusion endurance record of over a thousand seconds

/

Fusion power is widely thought of as the holy grail of renewable, climate-friendly energy. Now, we are one step closer to realizing practical fusion power for the masses. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak reactor in China’s Anhui Province has set a new record with a 1,066-second sustained fusion reaction. The new record builds on the previous record of 403 seconds set by EAST in 2023. The increase was made possible by a number of upgrades to the experimental system that have doubled the power output while keeping the reaction stable.

Heat pumps

Carbon-friendly heat pumps now outselling gas furnaces in the U.S.

/

Americans bought 37% more heat pumps than the next most popular heating appliance — gas furnaces — during the first 11 months of 2024. That’s a 21% increase over 2023. In addition to providing heated air in the winter and cool air in the summer, they are far more efficient than conventional heat sources — delivering three to four times more heat per dollar spent than oil- or gas-fired heating equipment or old-fashioned electric baseboard heat. To decarbonize the economy by 2050, heat pumps need to be 100% of heating system sales.

Solar farm in the desert

Abu Dhabi to build world’s largest solar energy project

/

Abu Dhabi will soon be home to a 5.2-GW solar farm, enough to power 750,000 homes and become the world’s new largest-ever solar energy project. The project will cost US$6 billion, and is set to be commissioned in 2027. It will consist of around 10 million solar panels across 20 square miles, more than 10,000 football fields. The new project in Abu Dhabi not only earns the United Arab Emirates major bragging rights, but also gets it closer to its Net Zero by 2050 target.

Rainforest canopy

The Democratic Republic of Congo to create the Earth’s largest protected tropical forest reserve

/

An area covering the size of France will now be protected through partnerships with communities that integrates conservation and restoration with green economic development. This forms the world’s largest protected forest area and consists of a network of economic hubs built on sustainable agricultural production and powered by renewable energy derived from the hydropower potential of the Congo River. The initiative aims to create 500,000 new jobs and transfer a million tons of food annually to Kinshasa, Africa’s largest city.

Solar farm from above

India adds record 24.5 GW of solar in 2024

/

India added 24.5 GW of solar and 3.4 GW of wind capacity in 2024, doubling solar installations and increasing wind capacity by 21% from 2023, according to JMK Research & Analytics. These additions brought India’s total renewable energy capacity to 209.44 GW, with solar accounting for 47%. Utility-scale additions nearly tripled from 2023, while rooftop and off-grid installations rose 53% and 197%, respectively, driven by the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana program, which spurred 700,000 rooftop installations in 10 months.

Scroll to Top