Ten years after the Paris Agreement, achieving global climate targets remains a formidable challenge, despite notable progress in emissions reduction and renewable energy adoption. In the European Union, emissions have declined by nearly 40% since 1990, and investments in renewable power now surpass those in fossil fuels by a factor of two. However, global carbon output is expected to peak this year, making the goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5ºC increasingly difficult. Accelerating electrification and scaling low-carbon systems are essential, with digital intelligence emerging as a pivotal enabler for decarbonization and grid resilience. Renewable energy has grown significantly since 2015, rising by almost 50% in the UK and EU, supported by innovations such as AI-driven grid management and cryogenic energy storage. Projects like Morocco’s Noor solar plant, capable of powering over one million homes, exemplify the potential of clean energy expansion. To meet future demands, global grids must be interconnected, renewable capacity expanded, and demand-side flexibility enhanced. A major barrier remains the lack of robust digital infrastructure in many regions, as demonstrated by recent grid failures in the Iberian Peninsula. Addressing this requires substantial investment—estimated at $9.2 trillion annually worldwide. Encouragingly, funding is emerging: the UK’s National Grid plans £60 billion over five years for digital upgrades, while the EU anticipates €2.3 trillion over the next decade, half dedicated to modernizing transmission systems. Digital tools not only support environmental goals but also improve operational efficiency and profitability, as seen with Dominion Energy’s real-time network that uses industrial AI to balance supply and demand with an eight-second response time. Such systems enable predictive maintenance, faster reporting, and transparency for stakeholders. Similar gains are evident in manufacturing, where Michelin reduced factory energy use by up to 16% through data-driven management. As COP30 approaches in Belem, Brazil, the concept of “mutirão”—communal effort for collective benefit—is gaining traction as a model for international cooperation. Key principles for progress include leveraging digitalization for large-scale decarbonization, combining global technologies with local adaptation, and accelerating deployment. With 90% of necessary climate technologies already available, the focus must shift from innovation to implementation. The upcoming climate talks offer a chance to align ambition with digital capacity and strategic action, reinforcing the role of technology in building a sustainable, resilient energy future.
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Energy tech key to scaling progress on Paris climate targets
Energy Transition n nEnergy tech and digital intelligence key to scaling progress on Paris climate goals n nNov 4, 2025 n nThe COP30 climate conference will be held in Belem, Brazil. Image: Vitor Paladini/Unsplash n nEsther Finidori n nChief Sustainability Officer , Schneider Electric n nLisa Wee n nChief Sustainability Officer , AVEVA Group n nThis article is part of: Centre for Nature and Climate n nTen years on from the Paris Agreement, meeting the targets outlined in the UN climate treaty remains challenging. n nDigital intelligence will be key to decarbonization, as well as building agility and resilience into future energy systems. n nCOP30 in Brazil presents an opportunity to drive alignment between ambition, digital capability and climate strategy. n nReflecting on the climate commitments of the Paris Agreement, it is easy to feel despondent. Some emissions have fallen — in the EU by almost 40% since 1990. Investment in renewable power generation is twice that of fossil fuels. Yet, the world is likely to reach peak carbon emissions this year. The path to limit the increase in global temperature to a maximum of 1.5ºC is becoming an ever-steeper climb. n nIt was never going to be easy: as the 195 signatories confirmed their pledges in 2015, it was clear that challenges lay ahead. Today, we see reasons for positivity in accelerating electrification, which is becoming a driving force of the energy transition. n nThe will to decarbonize at scale is growing too, exemplified by the World Economic Forum’s CEO letter. Moreover, as energy tech leaders, we believe that digital intelligence holds the key to scaling progress, ensuring that as we decarbonize we are building agility and resilience into the systems of the future. n nRenewables fastest way to generate new energy capacity n nEvidence of this progress can be seen in the power sector, where renewables now represent the quickest and most cost-competitive way to generate new capacity. n nIn the UK and EU alone, renewable energy has increased by almost 50% since the Paris Agreement. This trend is accelerating elsewhere, with the growth of biomass generators in India and North America. n nRenewable-powered grids are driving a proliferation of innovation, too. UK Power Networks is using industrial artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse 4 billion data points a day to help them manage the increasing complexity of a decarbonized grid. n nMeanwhile, Highview Power is using wind energy combined with liquid air cryogenics to build storage capacity that will further underpin UK grid resilience. In Morocco, one of the world’s largest solar farms, the Noor power plant, has the capacity to power more than one million households. n nNext, we must connect global grids, ramp up renewables and hard-wire demand-side flexibility. Building these capabilities is essential to scale a low-carbon electrification system. n nDigital infrastructure vital for decarbonization n nA critical obstacle to progress in low-carbon networks is that many countries need to enhance their underlying digital infrastructure. High-profile grid failures such as the Iberian Peninsula blackout have demonstrated the fragility of current systems. n nThey also showed that while innovation is under way, achieving net zero cannot be accomplished without substantial further investment. The good news is that governments and private partnerships are stepping up to provide those funds; climate finance will be a key focus at the upcoming UN climate conference negotiations in Brazil, known as COP30, as part of the $1.3 trillion Baku To Belem roadmap. n nThat will be just the beginning. Globally, estimates suggest that some $9.2 trillion will be needed each year to transition to net zero. Yet money is starting to flow. In the UK, National Grid has announced £60 billion over the next five years to digitalize infrastructure; In the EU, estimates suggest that up to €2.3 trillion will be invested over the next decade, with roughly half dedicated to modernizing transmission and distribution infrastructure to ensure grid resilience. n nStill, such investments take time to mature xad– all the while the temperature is creeping up. It is therefore crucial that energy tech and digital capabilities are deployed together to accelerate impact. n nFrom connecting networks to manage complexity, ensuring scalable electrification is a first step towards wider industrial decarbonization. And digital solutions provide the insight, visualization tools and intuitive analysis that teams need to meet supply commitments with agility and provide the certainty that their customers demand. n nHow digitalization can drive profitability n nThese advances are not just good for society and the planet – they drive direct value at the bottom line. A great example is Dominion Energy, a major power producer on the US East Coast. Dominion invested in a real-time digital network to bring renewable power capacity online at scale. With a latency of just eight seconds, their teams use industrial AI in the form of process simulation to model demand and match it to fluctuating renewable generation. n nDominion’s unified asset framework also enables proactive maintenance, anomaly detection and faster environmental reporting, all of which improve reliability and operational efficiency. n nLast but not least, Dominion’s customers can view the company’s energy source and use this data as proof for their own net-zero commitments, for investors and auditors. As the burden of climate regulation increases, we anticipate that convergence of digitalization, electrification and profitability will intensify. n nThe Dominion example points to another insight – while some AI is energy-intensive, many forms of industrial tech can be energy-efficient to implement and can minimize emissions, including industrial AI. n nWe see this not just in the power sector, but also in manufacturing, where tyre producer Michelin has embraced a data-driven approach to energy management, achieving up to 16% reduction in energy use across its factories. n nA ‘mutirão’ for industry at COP30 in Brazil n nAt COP30, negotiations will focus on the need to balance decarbonization efforts with the urgent requirements of economic growth and development. n nDiscover n nHow is the World Economic Forum fighting the climate crisis? n nThe Global Risks Report 2023 ranked failure to mitigate climate change as one of the most severe threats in the next two years, while climate- and nature- related risks lead the rankings by severity over the long term. n nThe World Economic Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate is a multistakeholder platform that seeks to safeguard our global commons and drive systems transformation. It is accelerating action on climate change towards a net-zero, nature-positive future. n nLearn more about our impact: n nScaling up green technologies: Through a partnership with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and over 65 global businesses, the First Movers Coalition has committed $12 billion in purchase commitments for green technologies to decarbonize the cement and concrete industry. n n1 trillion trees: Over 90 global companies have committed to conserve, restore and grow more than 8 billion trees in 65 countries through the 1t.org initiative – which aims to achieve 1 trillion trees by 2030. n nSustainable food production: Our Food Action Alliance is engaging 40 partners who are working on 29 flagship initiatives to provide healthy, nutritious, and safe foods in ways that safeguard our planet. In Vietnam, it supported the upskilling of 2.2 million farmers and aims to provide 20 million farmers with the skills to learn and adapt to new agricultural standards. n nEliminating plastic pollution: Our Global Plastic Action Partnership is bringing together governments, businesses and civil society to shape a more sustainable world through the eradication of plastic pollution. In Ghana, more than 2,000 waste pickers are making an impact cleaning up beaches, drains and other sites. n nProtecting the ocean: Our 2030 Water Resources Group has facilitated almost $1 billion to finance water-related programmes, growing into a network of more than 1,000 partners and operating in 14 countries/states. n nCircular economy: Our SCALE 360 initiative is reducing the environmental impacts of value chains within the fashion, food, plastics and electronics industries, positively impacting over 100,000 people in 60 circular economy interventions globally. n nWant to know more about our centre’s impact or get involved? Contact us. n nThe twin principles of energy tech – supporting wider-spread electrification and enabling industrial digitalization – will be crucial to achieving this balance, as will collective effort. The Brazilian Presidency’s COP30’s vision of “mutirão” – an Indigenous concept of communal collaboration for the common good, is as important for industry as it is for other stakeholders. n nAs the negotiation agenda becomes clear, some key principles can help drive measurable progress: n nDigitalization enables decarbonization at scale: Partnerships between nations, sectors and even competitors can help systems-level low-carbon operations. We are pleased to be building such digital ecosystems in many parts of the world today, as part of the World Economic Forum’s Transforming Industrial Clusters initiative – a ‘mutirão’ for industry in action. n nCombine the best of global and local: Leverage the best of global technologies to ensure speed and scalability. Adapt to local context to fit the business ecosystem needs and leverage existing strengths and success stories. n nDouble down on deployment: We have 90% of the technologies we need today to solve the climate crisis, but deployment at speed continues to be a challenge. Industry must play a lead role in picking up the pace of electrification, digitalization and decarbonization. n nTen years after Paris, COP30 presents an opportunity to drive alignment between ambition, digital capability and climate strategy. We have the tools, the insight and the will to drive change. This is why we welcome the Brazilian presidency’s call for this to be a COP for Impact, and we stand ready to get to work and drive action on climate. n nMore on Energy Transition n nSee all