This article was previously published in .
Another year is drawing to a close with everyone gathering their top lists of 2024. And while you’re revisiting the best the world had to offer in pop culture, music, and the arts, it’s worth a reminder of all the good news stories on climate and clean energy progress that graced our screens in 2024.
There was a lot to choose from—something that may not be immediately apparent in the and news that 2024 is to be the hottest on record.
But it’s true: Canada and the world made enormous strides addressing climate change and building a cleaner economy. Here are the top 10 stories from 2024:
1. Electric vehicle sales in Canada continued to rise
You may not know it from news coverage, but electric vehicle (EV) sales in Canada are at their . And they keep rising: market share for EVs in Canada has roughly tripled over the past three years, with the latest quarterly data showing sales at 16.5 per cent nationally. In fact, in 2017 and have been falling ever since.
The question ahead is one of pace, with Quebec rapidly taking the North American crown for EV adoption. More than one in three vehicle sales in la belle province were electric last quarter—substantially higher than .
2. Globally, it was the same story—EVs rising
The trend is even more pronounced globally where EV sales are set for . A big part of the story is China—the world’s largest auto-market—where the latest data show EVs taking . That has contributed to a peak in oil consumption in the country last year, .
Taken together, the rise of EVs is expected to by 2030, according to the International Energy Association (IEA).
3. Peak fossil fuels by 2030Â
On a related note: the IEA projected that global demand for fossil fuels will , thanks largely to the rapid electrification of the economy. Other forecasts, , have come to a similar conclusion. Global declines in the demand for fossil fuels will have and the long-term competitiveness of the oil and gas sector.
4. Clean electricity continued to soarÂ
The decline of fossil fuels is quickly being replaced by an age of clean electricity. The IEA expects roughly in 2024, nearly double the amount invested in fossil fuels. of electricity worldwide was non-emitting in 2023 and more than 90 per cent of the growth in net power capacity came from wind and solar.
5. Provinces and territories made big moves on clean electricityÂ
In Canada, we saw across the country, despite some more high-profile disputes. Ontario is with a goal to become a . Hydro Québec is over the next decade to expand clean energy and electrify the province. Quebec inked a last week that would see a massive amount of new clean electricity come online in future years. B.C. with enough new wind projects to increase power supply by 8 per cent —with more to come in future years. The federal government recently committed, on top of other clean energy investments. And in Saskatchewan, the federal government is investing in clean electricity, including Indigenous-led renewable projects.
6. The cost of clean energy continued to drop and that supports affordability
The cost of clean energy continued to drop worldwide, especially in solar and battery technologies. In the first half of this year alone, for example, solar photovoltaic prices dropped 20 per cent, . Solar module prices were cut in half over the past year. And grid-scale battery storage prices declined by nearly 10 per cent.
That can’t help but have positive impacts on affordability here at home. On that front, new research released this year showed that the transition to clean electricity can save people money—most households in Canada can expect to by switching to more efficient technologies such as EVs and heat pumps by mid-century. That echoes earlier research from the 91É«ÇéƬ that found that the switch off fossil fuels can save people money on energy costs over time.
7. Indigenous nations led on clean energyÂ
Indigenous Peoples continued to lead the way on climate and clean energy in 2024. The plant—the largest facility of its kind in the country and a 50/50 partnership with the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario—is set to power up next summer. Likewise,, led by the Malahat First Nation on Vancouver Island, will produce enough battery power for tens of thousands of homes and support hundreds of local jobs. Indigenous Peoples are partners or beneficiaries in—and almost all of that is renewables.
2024 also brought important new policy research on an,, and.
8. Canada has made progress cutting emissionsÂ
The latest estimates from the 91É«ÇéƬ showed Canada’s , and now sit around 8 per cent below where they were in 2005. Climate policies are working—with. Canada’s emissions would be higher today without the actions taken to date by all levels of government since 2015. By 2030, existing climate policies are expected to prevent 226 Mt of emissions—the same amount as current emissions from Quebec and Ontario combined. But getting closer to Canada’s emissions targets still requires more action. Governments can deliver by following through and finalizing developing and announced policies.
9. Big progress electrifying buildingsÂ
This year also saw Quebec committing to to heat all buildings, except in the industrial sector, which will mean a big transition away from fossil fuels to highly efficient electric heat pumps. This type of planned transition in the building sector is necessary to and stranded assets. Likewise, Vancouver of its nation-leading rules that effectively banned gas for heating most buildings.
10. Oil and gas sector makes progress cutting methane
Emissions from Canada’s oil and gas sector remain a critical challenge for climate policy, making up more than 30 per cent of national emissions. But one area that has seen progress is methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Cutting methane is a no-brainer and widely considered to be the cheapest and easiest way to slash emissions from the sector. This fall, B.C. announced it from the sector, exceeding its mandated 2025 target, and. The federal government has drafted regulations that would reduce oil and gas methane 75 per cent by 2030. There are important caveats, with of methane than previously thought, but progress has generally been encouraging.
Taken together, it’s been a year of surprisingly good news in the realm of climate and clean energy. That’s not to diminish the challenges ahead—but let’s not lose sight of the progress that’s been made. And re-double our efforts in 2025.
