The world is getting more electricity from renewables but less from nuclear power

The world needs to move away from fossil fuels to low-carbon power if we’re to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

There are two key sources of low-carbon power: renewables (which include solar, wind, hydropower and others) and nuclear.

While rapid growth in solar and wind has increased the amount of power coming from renewables, a lack of enthusiasm for nuclear means it’s playing a shrinking role in the global electricity mix.

In the chart, you can see the share of global electricity coming from fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear since 1985. Since 2000, nuclear and renewables have followed very different trajectories.

Back then, both categories made up a similar share of global electricity, but today, renewables make up more than three times as much: 30% compared to 9%.

The total amount of electricity produced by nuclear plants is almost exactly the same as it was two decades ago. But because the world produces much more electricity overall, its share of the electricity mix has declined.