26th January is the International day of Clean Energy
We should know that over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels for energy and every $1 invested in renewable energy creates 3 times more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry. Polluting fuels for cooking causes 3.2 million premature deaths annually while clean cooking can prevent many of these.
Globally the energy sector, dominated by fossil fuels, accounts for 34 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a total of 20 Gigatons (Gt) of GHG globally (IPCC, 2023). Global CO2 emissions should be halved by 2030 to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
We need energy and more importantly clean energy. Energy lies at the core of a double challenge: leaving no one behind and protecting the Planet. Our challenge is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to source our electricity, supply our heating and cooling needs, and power our industry and transportation, by accelerating the transition to sustainable and affordable energy for all.
At a time when we are all getting more questions than answers due to climate change, clean energy plays a vital role in reducing emissions, and can also benefit communities lacking access to reliable power sources. But the global data says that 666 million people live in the dark – more than 85 percent of them in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We are aware that a large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the Sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas) to generate electricity and heat.
Our agenda must be clear and it must focus on limiting climate change. To do this , we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.
The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared by the United Nations General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet. 26th January is also the founding date of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a global intergovernmental agency established in 2009 to support countries in their energy transitions, serve as a platform for international cooperation, and provide data and analyses on clean energy technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment. In 2023, the power sector was the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. We have to take more and more action to reach net-zero by 2050. It’s time to move to alternate and the positive side is that renewable energy sources — such as sunlight, wind, water, organic waste, and heat from the Earth — are abundant, replenished by nature, and emit little to no greenhouse gases or air pollutants. About 80 per cent of the global population lives in countries that are net-importers of fossil fuels – that’s about 6 billion people who are dependent on fossil fuels from other countries, which makes them vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises. In contrast, renewable energy sources are available in all countries, and their potential is yet to be fully harnessed.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 99 percent of people in the world breathe air that exceeds air quality limits and threatens their health. Air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths every year. The unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide originate mainly from the burning of fossil fuels.
Prices for renewable energy technologies are dropping rapidly. Over 90 per cent of new renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuels alternatives. On the positive note, clean energy sector jobs already outnumber fossil fuel jobs – employing almost 35 million people worldwide. In 2023, 16.2 million people were employed in the renewable energy sector, up from 13.7 million in 2022. The transition towards net-zero emissions will lead to an overall increase in energy sector jobs, while about 5 million jobs in fossil fuel production could be lost by 2030, an estimated 14 million new jobs would be created in clean energy, resulting in a net gain of 9 million jobs.
Our energy consumption must be sustainable and to ensure a sustainable future, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. With new innovation and technologies things are possible and we must shift to clean energy for the benefit of each and every living being on the planet. We must not forget that we do not have any other planet to live.
(With direct inputs from UN publication and feedback be sent to bkranjan@gmail.com)
Ranjan K Baruah
Guwahati
Monday, January 26, 2026