Global investment in renewable energy has continued to climb, even as the Trump administration dismantles low-carbon projects at home and withdraws from key international climate agreements.
In the first half of 2025, worldwide spending on clean energy technologies and projects reached a record $386 billion, up 10% from the same period last year. Analysts expect total global energy investment to hit $3.3 trillion this year, with more than $2.2 trillion directed toward low-carbon energy—nearly double the amount flowing into fossil fuels.
A report released Tuesday by the research group Zero Carbon Analytics shows that renewable energy investments have not lost momentum. Between early 2023 and 2024, global clean energy investment grew by 12%, following a 17% jump the year before.
“This demonstrates the sector’s resilience,” said Joan Bentley-McKeown, a senior analyst at the group. “Growth has slowed somewhat, but the trend is consistent with recent years and shows renewable investment is sturdier than many expected.”
Wind energy financing surged by nearly 25% in the first half of 2025, hitting $182 billion, with China and Europe dominating the offshore wind market. Future commitments for clean energy have also soared: since January, at least $470 billion in new projects have been announced, three-quarters of it earmarked for power grids and transmission upgrades—long seen as a critical bottleneck for renewable expansion.
Another study released Tuesday found that major corporations are also holding firm on climate pledges, even amid Trump’s hostility to climate action. Data from the Net Zero Tracker initiative shows that companies representing 70% of revenues from the world’s 2,000 largest firms are actively pursuing net-zero plans.
In the U.S., while Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement and undermined federal climate policy, many actors have charted a different course: 19 states remain committed to net-zero, alongside 304 large American companies—up from 279 last year—representing nearly two-thirds of U.S. corporate revenue, or about $12 trillion globally.
“The White House’s influence on corporate climate action is limited,” said John Lang, lead author of the report. “Talk of net-zero stagnation is exaggerated. The pullback is confined to fossil fuels and their financiers, while more companies are shifting from empty pledges toward long-delayed emission cuts.”
Still, experts caution that the pace is not fast enough. Despite progress, a significant gap remains between promises and implementation.
Thomas Hale, professor of global public policy at Oxford University, argues that for U.S. firms, climate commitments are less about ideology than competition: “American companies know they must keep pace with the EU, China, and other markets where climate policies increasingly shape competitiveness. Net-zero is not just a political battlefield—it’s a race for markets, investment, jobs, and ultimately the planet’s survival.”
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