The Transition That Never Transitioned: Fossil Fuels Still Powered 86% of the World in 2024

by Dr. M. Wielicki, Nov 20, 2025 in IrrationalFear


It’s November 2025. We are exactly a quarter century removed from the millennial panic, the Kyoto Protocol hype, and the first waves of “irrevocable tipping points” that were supposedly coming in 10 years (i.e., 2010).

We were told that fossil fuels had to be phased out immediately, or the planet would warm by 5–6°C by 2100. 25 years, multiple trillions of dollars, millions of wind turbines and solar panels, and countless “last chance” climate summits later…

Fossil fuels supplied ~88% of global primary energy in 2000.
In 2024, they supplied 86%.

Let that sink in.

 

 

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Global energy supply increased 2% in 2024 driven by rises in demand across all forms of energy, with non-OECD countries dominating both the share and annual growth rates. Fossil fuels continue to underpin the energy system accounting for 86% of the energy mix. Source: https://www.energyinst.org/statistical-review/home