Energy demand in Africa grows twice as fast as the global average, and Africa’s vast renewables resources and falling technology costs drive double-digit growth in deployment of utility-scale and distributed solar photovoltaics (PV), and other renewables, across the continent.

China and France today reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Agreement and called for worldwide action on combating climate change and halting the loss of biodiversity.

Global demand for energy is forecast to increase from nearly 286 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (mboe/d) in 2018 to more than 357 mboe/d in 2040, with average growth of about 1% p.a. In this period, energy demand in non-OECD countries is expected to increase by almost 75 mboe/d, while demand in the OECD is estimated to drop by around 3 mboe/d.

Current geopolitics, rife with politicization, trade wars and sanctions, will make sustainable energy goals "extremely difficult," said Eirik Waerness, Equinor's senior vice president and chief economist.

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions had fallen by 14% between 2005 and 2017

To reduce net emissions of carbon to zero, the world would have to eradicate the equivalent of 53.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide a year

Renewable energy must join forces with nuclear to secure a low-carbon future

“I’m worried about the decline of nuclear in the energy mix if governments don’t change their policies,” Birol said referring to new capacity and lifespan extensions.

"Developed countries have witnessed sluggish growth of nuclear power - except for six units in Finland, France, the US and the UK, no other nuclear power plant had been built in North America and the EU area for about 30 years. Over the same period however about 100 units were built in developing and emerging economies."

Global efforts to tackle climate change are futile as long as opposition to nuclear power persists, delegates heard at the opening session of the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power. It is the Vienna-based agency's first conference on this topic.