Energy Transition

85% of countries want a fast transition to clean energy – but how do we make it an equitable one too?

View of wind turbines.

A majority of people want a swift transition to clean energy, but developing countries mustn't be left behind. Image: Unsplash/Karsten Würth

Madeleine North
Senior Writer, Forum Agenda
This article is part of: Centre for Energy and Materials
  • A majority of countries support a swift transition away from fossil fuels, according to the United Nations' latest Peoples’ Climate Vote.
  • But of the $1.8 trillion invested into clean energy infrastructure in 2023, emerging and developing economies received less than 15%.
  • The World Economic Forum's new report Accelerating an Equitable Transition: A Data-Driven Approach analyzes individual country data to establish where the equity gaps are.

Seven out of ten people around the world want their country to make the switch to clean energy as quickly as possible in a bid to tackle the climate crisis.

That’s according to the United Nations' (UN) second Peoples’ Climate Vote, which surveyed over 73,000 people across 77 countries and found that 85% of those countries support a swift transition away from fossil fuels, including a majority of the world’s 10 biggest oil, gas and coal producing countries.

The survey results "reveal a level of consensus that is truly astonishing," said Achim Steiner of the UN Development Programme. He urged leaders and policymakers to take action, “especially as countries develop their next round of climate action pledges”.

But it’s not just about achieving a fast-moving transition. It needs to be an equitable one too. “Well-intentioned policies and climate-positive actions … could exacerbate existing economic inequities and leave society more fragmented and polarized, ultimately slowing both environmental and socioeconomic progress,” warns a new report from the World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group.

Who's most worried about climate change?

While a majority (53%) of respondents to the People's Climate Vote said they were more worried about the climate crisis than they were last year, 6 in 10 people in the world's least-developed countries (LDCs) expressed increased concern, compared with half of people in G20 countries.

The world’s 10 most increasingly worried countries are:

1. Fiji (80%)

2. Afghanistan (78%)

3. Mexico (77%)

4. Türkiye (77%)

5. Paraguay (76%)

6. Republic of Korea (76%)

7. Brazil (76%)

8. Ecuador (76%)

9. Colombia (75%)

10. Guatemala (74%).

With LDCs frequently bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, it’s not surprising a majority of people (89%) in those countries want to see stronger commitments to tackling the climate crisis, with the Sub-Saharan African countries of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Benin registering the highest level of support for this, at 97%.

Map showcasing the percentage of people who have climate anxiety.
Climate anxiety has increased for a majority (53%) of people around the world – so has the desire for a swift transition to clean energy. Image: United Nations

Are countries doing enough to tackle the climate crisis?

A quarter of people said their country was failing to address climate challenges, with Haiti registering the most disappointment (73% of Haitians think their country is doing very or somewhat badly).

While transitioning to clean energy is a key part of addressing the climate crisis, the reality is that over 90% of investment in the sector is concentrated in advanced economies and China.

Of the $1.8 trillion invested into clean energy infrastructure in 2023, emerging and developing economies received less than 15%, “despite accounting for 65% of the world’s population and generating about a third of global gross domestic product (GDP)”, points out the World Economic Forum’s report, Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2024.

Chart showing the energy transition triangle.
Equity is as important as speed when it comes to the energy transition. Image: World Economic Forum
Discover

How is the World Economic Forum fighting the climate crisis?

How can we create an equitable transition?

The Forum's report says clean energy investment in developing countries must increase “more than sixfold, from $270 billion currently to $1.6 trillion by the early 2030s”.

According to the UN’s climate poll, 8 in 10 people would agree, with 79% saying they want “rich countries to give more support to poorer countries”.

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But the transition itself can create inequalities. Decommissioning coal mines, for instance, impacts local employment, while the adoption of electric vehicles is largely the preserve of higher-income households. As the Forum's Accelerating an Equitable Transition: A Data-Driven Approach points out, "climate change mitigation efforts continue to disproportionately benefit wealthier segments of society".

Different countries face different risks and therefore require a nuanced approach, it says. The report analyzes individual country data to establish where the equity gaps are, in order to “generate informed strategies”.

What these Forum reports make clear is that to avoid exacerbating existing inequalities, climate policies need to be inclusive and considerate of socio-economic impacts, ensuring that no country or community is left behind in the fight against the climate crisis.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Energy TransitionClimate Action
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