Energy

Has the much‑discussed energy transition actually begun? So far, the answer is no. With only brief dips in crisis years, global fossil fuel use has risen every year since 1983. The newly released 2025 data confirm: humanity burned more of every major energy source in 2025 than ever before.

Despite recent shifts in federal energy policies, a Carbon Brief analysis shows that the US transition to renewable energy is continuing.

Are we doomed within the next fifty years, or will it take many centuries? The end-Permian “Great Dying” can help us put today’s extinction crisis into perspective. The unsettling parallels offer a possible roadmap if we learn to see geological history as a series of recurring patterns rather than distant, irrelevant events.

War has become a fever that world leaders cannot seem to break. As militarism spreads, its costs extend far beyond the battlefield, accelerating climate change while consuming the resources needed to confront it.

Under Gustavo Petro, Colombia became a leading voice for phasing out fossil fuels. Now, his ally has lost to hard-right Trump favourite Abelardo de la Espriella, who backs more oil and “fracking to the max”. What could the shift mean for Colombia’s climate leadership?

Beyond living standards, economic growth has shaped how societies cope with shocks and distribute gains. As growth weakens, these less visible functions may prove just as consequential as its economic effects.