Many developing countries’ climate pledges depend on finance from wealthier nations, whose own development was powered by fossil fuels and whose emissions have contributed most to climate change. Yet the latest UN climate summit ended with rich countries offering less than a quarter of the $1.3 trillion hoped for to support a just transition. The Least Developed Countries Group called the outcome “a staggering betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable”.

So why should low-emitting countries now be expected to limit their own development by curbing fossil fuel use?

Clean energy is not, in the long run, a cost but an investment. Here are five ways switching off fossil fuels can benefit people, the environment and national economies.

In the past 50 years, recorded disasters have increased fivefold. In 2022 alone, extreme weather displaced 12 million children. Two billion people face the threat of drought – and nearly as many are at risk of flooding. For many, it is too hot to work.

Burning fossil fuels – mainly coal, oil and gas – creates over 75 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, trapping the sun’s heat and driving this cascade of harm. Cutting down forests for fuel or farmland only makes things worse.

Emerging and developing economies accounted for over 80 percent of last year’s rise in energy demand, according to the IEA. That demand could fuel further climate change – or it could power a clean energy future. Renewables like solar, wind, hydro and geothermal are becoming cheaper and more efficient, making it possible for many countries to leapfrog straight to non-polluting energy systems.

In 2024, renewable energy supplied 32 percent of the world’s electricity. If emissions are halved by 2030 and nearly eradicated by 2050, the worst impacts of climate change can still be averted.

Cooking and heating with coal, wood or dung fills homes with toxic smoke. Fine particles – including soot, black carbon and dust – enter the lungs and bloodstream, causing pneumonia, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and complications in pregnancy.

Children are especially vulnerable: they breathe faster and have underdeveloped immune systems. In 2019, air pollution was linked to nearly a third of all deaths in babies under 28 days old.

Outside the home, industrial pollution also harms physical and mental health. A recent Scottish study found a link between nitrogen dioxide – from traffic and power plants – and higher hospital admissions for behavioural and mental health disorders.

Switching to clean energy prevents these harms. Small, off-grid projects can bring electricity to homes for the first time – powering lights, heaters, fridges and even improving food safety and nutrition. Reliable power also keeps hospitals running.

In Syria and Afghanistan, solar energy now powers Aga Khan health facilities, avoiding diesel shortages and air pollution alike.

Extracting fossil fuels – through mining, drilling, or fracking – damages ecosystems and communities. It contaminates soil and water, and generates harmful waste, pollution and noise – and sometimes even earthquakes. Local water supplies are diverted for industrial use, and forests are cleared to make way for mines.

In contrast, once solar panels are built, they generate clean energy. Large wind turbines require land and infrastructure, but don’t pollute. Small-scale hydropower has minimal ecological impact.

Globally, more than half the trees cut down are used for firewood or charcoal. Clean energy alternatives can reduce deforestation, allowing forests to continue cooling the air, preventing flooding, filtering pollution and sheltering pollinators and wildlife. Elephants, chimpanzees and countless other species can keep their homes rather than be forced into contact – and often conflict – with humans.

AKDN has planted trees to:

• cool cities,
• filter wastewater,
• store carbon,
• supply food and
• boost incomes.

Clean energy helps close gaps – between rich and poor, men and women, and urban and rural dwellers.

After the initial setup, solar and wind power are cheaper than fossil fuels, which have surged in price since 2019. For households that couldn’t previously afford electricity, clean energy brings access to labour-saving tools, the ability to charge mobile phones, and opportunities to run small businesses or access digital services. It also avoids the common practice of situating polluting power plants near marginalised communities.

In many places, women and girls spend hours each day collecting firewood. It costs them time, health, safety and opportunities – including school and work. Clean energy means greater safety, freedom and dignity.

Urban areas often have better electricity access than rural ones. In Pakistan, for example, nearly all city residents have power, compared to just 54 percent in rural areas. Solar panels, micro-hydro and wind microgrids offer decentralised solutions – potentially reaching the 700 million people globally who can’t rely on national infrastructure.

Clean energy creates opportunities – for individuals, communities and entire countries. And in 85 percent of the world, it’s now cheaper to build wind and solar energy infrastructure than fossil-fuel power plants.

When homes have power, children can study after dark, and adults can invest in equipment or technology to grow small businesses or farms. With reduced household labour, women have a chance to join the business world. In rural areas, a steady electricity supply enables telecoms, attracting businesses and encouraging young people to stay. In northern Pakistan, eight new clean-energy tech hubs are expected to support more than 140 enterprises.

Clean energy also offers the prospect of national energy independence. India’s National Solar Mission has already tripled its original target, giving the country the world’s fourth-largest solar power capacity – and helping drive demand for skilled jobs. India’s solar industry is now creating work across design, manufacturing and installation. And using distributed renewable energy, like rooftop solar panels, can generate up to 25 times more employment than fossil-fuel power.