Donald Trump is the accidental hero of a real-life feelgood climate tale even as a creeping horror story plays alongside | Clear Air
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- The World Health Organisation reports a record-breaking European heatwave has killed more than 1,300 people, while the World Weather Attribution consortium found nearly half of Europe's 850 biggest cities are enduring their worst heat stress on record, with daytime temperatures 5C to 12C above seasonal averages.
- Renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro) overtook coal as the world's leading electricity source in 2024, providing about a third of global electricity, while solar capacity grew 30% in 2025 — what the source calls the single largest annual increase of any electricity source in history.
- Donald Trump's attack on Iran triggered a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 20% of the world's oil and gas supply, and has inadvertently accelerated global consideration of energy independence from fossil fuel trade, making him what the article calls an "accidental hero" of the clean energy story.
- Pakistan has increased its solar capacity more than tenfold in four years as gas power became unreliable and grid electricity expensive, with solar now providing over 25% of the country's electricity and prompting the government to cancel scheduled LNG imports for this fiscal year.
- The EU's solar and wind generation reached about 30% of electricity in 2025, up from 19% in 2021, with renewables now 48% of total generation and fossil fuels falling to 29%, accelerated in part by the post-Russia-Ukraine fossil fuel price shock.
- China's coal share of power generation has fallen from about 80% to roughly 50% over 20 years, and two-thirds of cars plus at least 25% of heavy vehicles sold in the country this year are expected to be EVs, leading a global EV share of 27%.
- Delhi's government announced this week a ban on new licence plates for fossil-powered small trucks and three-wheelers from next year, and scooters and motorbikes in two years, allowing only electric models.
Why it matters: The transition is accelerating but emissions have not yet started falling: the article notes that even with solar capacity up 30% in 2025, global emissions are yet to decline. Energy security concerns triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war and Trump's Iran blockade are now driving renewables adoption in Pakistan, India, and the EU alongside climate concern, making the shift harder for fossil fuel interests to reverse.
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