Some progress, more work ahead

In the past two decades, the world has made major progress in many areas. The global ­transformation of energy systems has begun, and poverty and child mortality have decreased. ­Education levels have risen, as has life expectancy. But there is still a lot to do. The Sustainable ­Development Goals – a roadmap to 2030 – are intended to reinforce the positive trend achieved in recent years and thus make the world a safer place despite, or because of, the numerous crises.

Clean energy powers ahead

The more than threefold increase in renewable energy use in just a decade has exceeded expectations. This sector now accounts for more than 50 per cent of all new energy capacity installations. 

Green investment

Investment in renewables has soared: the global energy transition is well under way.

Challenges

More civil wars
The number of civil wars almost tripled between 2007 and 2014.

Fragile states
The Fragile State Index 2016 ranks eight countries in the ‘Very High Alert’ category in terms of their stability. 

A further eight countries are in the ‘High Alert’ category: Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Guinea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Burundi and Zimbabwe.

Progress

Lower child mortality
In 1990, 90 children per 1,000 live births died before the age of five. The global figure was 12.7 million. Today, that figure has halved.

More clean water
The number of people with access to safe 
water has almost doubled in just 25 years. 

Less poverty
The share of the world’s people living in ­extreme poverty has fallen dramatically 
since 1990.  

Sources: International Energy Agency, World Bank, REN21, Freedom House, Fund for Peace, United Nations University, United Nations

published in akzente 1/17