2025 clean energy milestone masks systemic failures: fossil fuel lock-ins persist despite record growth in renewables
Original framing: “Turning point? Clean energy met 100% of world’s new power needs in 2025: report” — South China Morning Post
The original framing omits the historical legacy of fossil fuel dependence, the role of indigenous land dispossession in renewable energy expansion, and the disproportionate impact of energy transitions on Global South nations. It also ignores the militarization of energy infrastructure (e.g., US-Israel-Iran conflict) as a driver of fossil fuel lock-in, as well as the marginalization of labor unions in the renewable energy sector. Indigenous knowledge on sustainable energy systems and community-led microgrids is entirely absent.
Medium structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The narrative is produced by the London-based Ember think tank, funded by climate-focused philanthropies and Western energy analysts, for an audience of policymakers, investors, and corporate elites. The framing serves the interests of renewable energy corporations and Western governments by positioning clean energy as a market-driven solution, while obscuring the role of fossil fuel lobbies, military-industrial complexes, and neocolonial resource extraction in perpetuating energy insecurity. The report’s focus on 2025’s milestone distracts from the lack of binding global agreements to phase out fossil fuels.
Future modelling suggests that even with 2025’s renewable growth, global emissions will continue rising unless structural changes occur, such as the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies ($7 trillion annually) and the democratization of energy grids. Scenario planning by the IPCC indicates that a 1.5°C pathway requires not just renewable deployment but also degrowth in high-consuming nations and reparations for historical emissions. The current trajectory risks locking in a 'green colonialism' model, where Global South nations bear the brunt of renewable infrastructure while wealthier nations maintain control over critical minerals.
The 2025 clean energy milestone is a symptom of a fragmented transition, where renewable growth coexists with fossil fuel lock-ins, geopolitical conflicts, and corporate monopolies.