Energising Futures: Latin America’s Power Play & Global Energy Shifts

Alright folks, let’s have a chinwag about the latest and greatest in the energy game, shall we? Latin America and the Caribbean are absolutely smashing it with clean energy – they’re riding at the front of the green wave, and it’s a sight to behold!

So, the International Energy Agency (IEA) chucked out this whopper of a report, and guess what? It’s singing praises about Latin American and Caribbean energy being a total game changer. Get this – over half their juice comes from renewables. That’s double what the rest of us are managing! Brazil and Mexico are knocking out a ton of wind power, and there’s a proper buzz around biofuels and this shiny new thing called low-emissions hydrogen.

Big man Fatih Birol over at the IEA can’t get enough of the natural goodies this region has, and he’s reeling about renewables sparking economic growth and keeping the old energy ticker stable. Sounds like a belter of a situation!

Now, check this out – there’s this gang of more than 60 countries, including the movers and shakers like the EU, US, and UAE, all arm-in-arm promising to go triple or nothing on renewables by 2030. They’re bidding bye-bye to coal, and they’re warming up for the COP28 climate chinwags with a promise that’s pretty hard to ignore. They’re dead set on upping energy efficiency and giving the cold shoulder to new coal projects. Even the boffins are reminding us how sorting out the clean energy game is top-notch for tackling the climate crisis.

Quick, let’s jet off on a world tour. Africa’s gearing up some tip-top geothermal energy, and it looks like they might leave Europe eating their dust come 2030. Women there are kicking down doors in the energy biz, and Burkina Faso’s having a think about going nuclear or solar for electrifying their patch. Kenya’s on the verge of becoming a hub for carbon capture, and Namibia’s getting cracking on a green iron plant.

But enough of the far-flung spots! Back on our turf, the EU’s putting on a united front over energy stuff, and a little island in the Med is having a go with a hydrogen-powered economy. Over in Central Asia, they’re making the switch to greener heating and loving the savings and cleaner air. Peru, meanwhile, is giving their economy a good tweak, with a sharp eye on mining and energy. And mate, the US government’s chucking a whopping $7 billion into their hydrogen hub dream.

Last bit for you – at the World Economic Forum, they’re grafting hard to keep our climate in nick by angling for cleaner and fairer energy. We’re still pretty hung up on the old fossil fuels, but the Forum’s got schemes like Systemic Efficiency and the Global Battery Alliance that are all about sparking genius ideas and setting us up for a future that’s bright and green.

Keen to find out where your neck of the woods stands green-wise, or which nations are top dog in the sustainability race? Stick around, my friends – there’s heaps to natter about in the buzzing energy world of 2023!