Fossil fuel investment set to exceed $1 trillion in 2023, ‘more than double’ levels needed for a net-zero future: IEA

Global investment in energy is slated to hit roughly $2.8 trillion in 2023, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency, with over $1.7 trillion of that set to go on clean energy technologies such as EVs, renewables and storage.

While advocates of the transition to a sustainable future will welcome the latter figure, they’ll likely be disheartened by the IEA’s projection that coal, gas and oil are still on course to attract “slightly over” $1 trillion of investment this year.

“Today’s fossil fuel investment spending is now more than double the levels needed in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario,” the IEA’s World Energy Investment report for 2023 said.

“The misalignment for coal is particularly striking: today’s investments are nearly six times the 2030 requirements of the NZE Scenario,” it added.

The effect of fossil fuels on the environment is considerable. The U.N. says that, since the 19th century, “human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.”

The shadow of 2015′s Paris Agreement looms large over the IEA’s report. The landmark accord aims to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.”

Cutting human-made carbon dioxide emissions to net-zero by 2050 is seen as crucial when it comes to meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius target.

Major debate

Over the past few years, high profile figures such as U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres have made their feelings on fossil fuels known.

In June last year, Guterres slammed new funding for fossil fuel exploration. He described it as “delusional” and called for an abandonment of fossil fuel finance.

Despite these concerns, the oil and gas industry continues to develop projects around the world.

In Oct. 2022, for instance, BP chief Bernard Looney said his firm’s strategy was centered around investing in hydrocarbons whilst simultaneously putting money into the planned energy transition.

Change coming?

While there will be concerns about the money flowing to fossil fuels, Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, sought to highlight what could be a significant shift going forward.

“Clean energy is moving fast — faster than many people realise,” he said in a statement issued alongside the IEA’s report. “This is clear in the investment trends, where clean technologies are pulling away from fossil fuels.”

“For every dollar invested in fossil fuels, about 1.7 dollars are now going into clean energy,” Birol added, explaining that this ratio had been one-to-one just five years ago.

“One shining example is investment in solar, which is set to overtake the amount of investment going into oil production for the first time.”