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In Kenya, poor consultation with local communities led to a landmark ruling that revoked the licence for a proposed geothermal project. In India, a 1-gigawatt (GW) solar project funded by the Asian Development Bank was cancelled in 2025 after protests by tribal communities, who reported a lack of proper consultation and faced the displacement of 20,000 people.

In Chile, wind farms built for green hydrogen exports are meeting resistance as residents say such projects threaten ecosystems and livelihoods. In the Philippines, the Tumandok Indigenous people oppose a mega-hydropower project. They say the project risks flooding their ancestral lands and sacred sites, and has violated their right to free, prior and informed consent. And in Pakistan, the 4-GW Dasu Hydropower Project has already uprooted more than 7,000 people, leaving 34 villages abandoned. 

With clean energy mega-projects becoming the norm, as shown in a recent report by CAN International, such conflicts are only likely to increase in number unless things change.

Growth without justice

Despite record expansion, deployment of renewables remains far too slow and far too unequal. Many developing countries are constrained by debt and limited fiscal space, while rich nations continue to over-consume energy.

Even where renewables are rising, the benefits often flow to foreign corporations. And power fed back into national grids frequently enriches independent power producers while leaving consumers with high bills.

For Indian women workers, a just transition means surviving climate impacts with dignity

Egypt illustrates the dilemma. To meet its green hydrogen targets and bring in hard currency to service its debt, the country needs to install 41 GW of renewable capacity by 2030 and 114 GW by 2040 – five to fifteen times its current renewable capacity. Four percent of Egypt’s land has been designated for green hydrogen production, even as droughts and water scarcity worsen.

Under the EU-led Global Gateway initiative, some of this electricity could be exported to Europe through the GREGY interconnector. Meanwhile, Egypt is becoming a hub for ‘green’ data centres, even as rural areas and public healthcare facilities face rolling blackouts.

“Some of the world’s largest solar projects are in Morocco and Egypt – but they’re built mainly for export, not to meet domestic needs,” says Mohamed Kamal, executive director of Greenish, an Egypt-based civil society organisation. “The real challenge now is governance: how to ensure that new investments serve local people first, especially in regions that still lack the infrastructure for consistent energy supply.” 

“As we build the renewable energy economy, we must not repeat the mistakes of the fossil fuel era,” he adds. “We cannot look to those failed models for inspiration or replicate their structures of control within the renewable energy value chain.”

A just transition mechanism for renewables at COP30

At COP30 in Belém, civil society networks including Climate Action Network are calling for the Belém Action Mechanism (BAM) for a Just Transition under the UN climate process to make a fair transition real.

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BAM would bring together the many initiatives now working in isolation, from practitioner alliances to community projects or programmes led by intergovernmental organisations. This will help countries change course by removing structural barriers such as debt, unfair trade rules and limited technology transfer that keep developing countries at the bottom of renewable supply chains.

It will also unlock public finance to support worker upskilling, green industrial policies and inclusive ownership models and distributed renewable systems. Furthermore, it can create structured dialogue between governments, workers and communities to share best practices, strengthen participation and scale up solutions that deliver. 

Such a mechanism could help countries develop not only more renewables, but better ones – people-centred, community-led and domestically owned.

Restoring trust, accelerating transition

Globally, the world is not on track to triple renewable capacity by 2030 – as agreed at COP28 – and fossil fuel emissions remain stubbornly high. Unless the renewable transition becomes fairer, it will also become slower.

From rooftop-solar schemes in India that cut bills and spare land, to initiatives in the Philippines, where a coalition of civil society, faith-based and industry groups has launched a “Ten Million Solar Rooftops” challenge, examples are emerging across the world of what fair, people-centred renewables can look like.

In Canada and Australia, projects led by communities or Indigenous people are showing the same spirit. In Western Australia, the Aalga Goorlil “Sun Turtle” Community Power Project – led by the Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation – aims to reduce the community’s reliance on non-renewable energy and has already become a symbol of self-determination since the community’s official recognition last year. In Bolivia, solar power is strengthening food and economic security for local farming and fishing communities.

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A global just transition mechanism could scale up such efforts, restoring trust and placing equity at the centre of decarbonisation and access to quality energy for everyone.

“Justice isn’t an add-on,” says Mohamed Kamal. “It’s the condition for progress. Without it, the transition won’t hold.” As negotiators prepare for COP30, the question is not only how fast the world can build renewables, but who they are built for and how.

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Over the course of three decades the technology has gone from research project to global energy technology. The first offshore wind farm was installed in Danish waters in 1991. The 11 turbines had a total capacity of 4.5 megawatts, roughly enough to power 2,000-3,000 homes. Fast forward to today and the industry is developing single turbines which are three times as powerful. One sweep of a modern turbine could power the average European household for more than a day.

The industry has reached this level of maturity in some ways against the odds. In a short number of years the demands placed upon it to grow and cut costs have been enormous. And yet it has delivered through a combination of industry innovation, experience, and supportive government policies.

From those first humble turbines the industry has installed over 60 gigawatts, enough to power tens of millions of households. But this is where things get tricky. The sector now faces unique headwinds which threaten to push its growth journey off course and into choppy waters. 

Challenging environment

At any one time the renewable energy industry has to navigate policy landscapes and uncertainties which are a function of doing business across different countries and continents. In recent years these uncertainties have grown and been exacerbated by economic pressures. Persistent inflation and rising interest rates have meant the cost of building new wind farms has spiralled. The war in Ukraine has led to skyrocketing energy prices and supply chain constraints as Europe confronts a full-scale conflict on its doorstep.

This has had a knock on effect for many millions of people, businesses, and the offshore wind industry. Cost matters when the turbines you are building are bigger than the Eiffel Tower and being placed miles from land. Offshore projects can be sensitive to global shocks as it takes years to go from first designs to final turbines in the water.

Despite these pressures the world is depending on offshore wind to help meet its climate targets and reduce global temperatures to 1.5C. To do this requires a tripling down of support for renewable technologies. The International Energy Agency and its renewables counterpart, IRENA, both see clean energy capacity tripling to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030 if we are to stand a chance of meeting our climate goals.

Getting back on track

Ørsted, a global renewable energy company and the world leader in offshore wind, argues that the long-term prospects for the technology remain bright. But the sector’s current issues jeopardise whether it can build out projects as fast as is needed. Last September the company published a seven-point plan to help the industry get back on track. It insists that offshore wind remains essential to the energy transition especially given the “recent global fossil fuel supply shock”, adding that “it is crucial for governments and industry to work together to weather the current storm and facilitate future offshore wind deployment.” 

This push-pull dynamic has historically been such a success for the sector. Supportive government policies have helped spur innovation and investment. Strong levels of action from policymakers matched by industry commitments to drive down costs will now prove decisive. This means creating a path from high government targets to a place where investment decisions can be made and high volumes of clean power can be brought online. For example, making it simpler and more predictable to get projects approved, and creating a market which accounts for future risks. Among other things, it is these risks, seen in the global upheaval of the past 18 months, which create uncertainty and a lack of confidence.

All hands on deck

Emil Damgaard Grann, head of global positioning at Ørsted, commented: “This is not just an issue facing the offshore wind industry. If we don’t fix these problems, from high inflation to supply chain bottlenecks, then society stands to lose out. Climate targets, job creation, and the huge economic growth opportunities which flow from offshore wind will be missed.”

Government targets for offshore wind will require an estimated US$100 billion in supply chain investment over the next seven years. This would have huge economic and environmental benefits for the planet. But to get there means adopting an all hands on deck approach.

Sponsored post by Ørsted. See our supporters page for what this means.

Adam Wentworth is a freelance writer based in Brighton, UK.

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For one thing its coal industry plays an outsized role in the economy, employing 46,000 people and generating over 50% of electricity. The country is also dealing with the impacts of its addiction to such fossil fuels.

Australia’s climate has, on average, increased by over 1.47C since records began in 1910, and extreme weather events – wildfires, flooding and drought – have all increased in recent decades.

On the positive side there are reasons to believe Australia could become a leader in the transition to a net-zero economy. As a large island nation blessed with an abundance of sunshine and open land there are ample opportunities to build renewable power.

In this regard the government has a mixed climate record with successive administrations going out of their way to favour the fossil fuel industry and undermine clean energy. Nevertheless, 35% of Australia’s electricity came from renewable sources last year, and multiple large-scale wind and solar power plants are under construction.

Increasing efficiency

Energy efficiency is one example of an area which needs attention with a recent government assessment concluding that “Australian homes are largely inefficient”. Funding to the tune of AUS$1.3bn is at least now being made available for upgrades.

The reason is that a new administration, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has signalled a change in government policy with net-zero back on the agenda.

Speaking to the BBC after his election victory last year Mr. Albanese pledged to “end the climate wars in Australia” and that “Australian businesses know that good action on climate change is good for jobs and good for our economy, and I want to join the global effort.”

Charting a way to net zero can be difficult even with consistent policymaking and high levels of investment. This is because our highly sophisticated economies are highly dependent on burning carbon.

Electricity generation, heating and transport are the three biggest contributors to any country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. The most viable carbon-free solutions in these sectors are based on tapping into the vast energy efficiency potential and using more clean electricity to power heat pumps and electric vehicles.

But how to manage that transition is not always straightforward. As we build out these technologies there is much hand wringing around where all the extra electricity will come from.

New technology

The answer need not seem so complicated. Signify is the largest lighting company in Australia and an innovator in energy efficiency lighting.

The company’s own analysis has found that roughly 50% of all light-points in Australia consist of old technology (“tubes and bulbs”) and that switching to connected LED lighting could have a major financial and carbon impact in the country.

If all light points were shifted to connected LEDs it could save AUS$8.1 billion (US$5.3 billion) each year, and save an estimated 7.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is the equivalent of flying 76 million passengers from Melbourne to Sydney.

But more than this, modern LED lighting frees up electricity to be used to power other parts of the economy. Further analysis from Signify estimates that if the technology was used everywhere in Australia it could power 3.8 million heat pumps, 4.4 million electric vehicles, or 5.2 million electric cooking units each year.

Harry Verhaar, Signify’s head of global public & government affairs, commented: “Australia is a sleeping giant in the fight against climate change. The country is sitting under a green goldmine and should be showing other countries the way forward. Combining new energy efficient technology with plentiful renewable resources could supercharge the economy to a net-zero electric future. There is little time to waste and everything to gain from making this transition now.”

Climate change has become ever present in recent years with Australia’s major towns and cities battered by constant flooding and engulfed by wildfires. A big part of the solution is to address the way people use and waste energy across the entire economy.

Small but effective steps to save energy through new technologies will not only free up electricity to be used elsewhere, but dramatically curb the emissions which are fuelling extreme weather events.

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