UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged world leaders to accelerate the transition to clean energy, calling the moment a "historic opportunity" to build a fairer, more sustainable future.

His remarks follow the publication of two major reports confirming that renewable energy generation is expanding faster than ever — and, for the first time in history, has overtaken coal as a source of electricity.

A turning point in global energy

New data from Ember, a global energy thinktank, shows that solar and wind power met all of the growth in global electricity demand during the first half of 2025. As a result, coal and gas use saw a slight decline compared to the same period last year.

"This marks a crucial turning point," said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, Senior Electricity Analyst at Ember. "Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to satisfy the world's increasing appetite for electricity. Clean power is finally keeping pace with demand growth."

Solar power leads the charge

A separate assessment by the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global renewable capacity will double by 2030, adding around 4,600 gigawatts (GW) — the equivalent of combining the total power generation capacity of China, the European Union, and Japan.

The IEA attributes around 80 per cent of this growth to the continued boom in solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, which converts sunlight directly into electricity. The remainder will come from wind, hydro, bioenergy, and geothermal power.

‘The clean energy future is here'

Reacting to the findings, Guterres said the results proved that "the clean energy future is no longer a distant promise — it's here."

He called on governments to "seize this historic opportunity and supercharge the global shift towards a better future for all," echoing the conclusions of his Moment of Opportunity report released in July.

The reports also align with the messages voiced by global leaders during last month's Climate Ambition Summit in New York, part of the run-up to COP30, which will be held in Brazil this November.

Progress, but not fast enough

Despite the encouraging data, the UN Secretary-General has repeatedly cautioned that the world's energy transition remains too slow and too unequal.

He has warned that without a rapid and just phase-out of fossil fuels, the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the Paris Agreement, will slip beyond reach.

"The direction is right," Guterres said earlier this year. "But we must move faster — with fairness and solidarity — if we are to secure a livable planet for future generations."