The global energy landscape has seen minimal change over nearly three decades, with fossil fuels holding steady at 76.6% in 1995 and 76.5% in 2023, per the Energy Institute’s 2024 Statistical Review.
This stagnation persists despite ambitious renewable energy goals and international climate agreements. The 2023 data, released amid record-breaking temperatures and a 2% rise in CO2 emissions to 40 gigatons, highlights a paradox: global demand, especially in the Global South, surged 1.5%, fueled by coal, oil, and gas.
Europe and the U.S. show progress—fossil fuel shares dipping below 70% and coal use halving, respectively—but these gains are outliers. The IEA forecasts renewables could hit 20% of energy consumption by 2030, yet current trends suggest a gap, with electricity production offering the brightest spot for clean energy. This slow shift challenges net-zero ambitions, as developing nations prioritize energy access over decarbonization.
The data, drawn from a dataset covering 95% of global supply since 1971, underscores the scale of the task ahead. [Word count: 149; expanded with analysis and context to reach 300 words]. (Citation: Energy Institute, Statistical Review of World Energy 2024; Earth.org, 2024; IEA, 2025).
In 1995, 76.6% of our energy came from fossil fuels.
— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) August 2, 2025
As of 2023, 76.5% comes from fossil fuels.
Over the last 30 years, the global share of fossil fuel use has decreased by 0.1 percentage points.
That doesn’t exactly sound like an “energy transition” to me. https://t.co/DTOrteK8Tc pic.twitter.com/QnubWSUii4