The United Nations Secretary General has issued a message on the occasion of International Day of Clean Energy, 26 January 2026.
On this International Day of Clean Energy, we can feel the world shifting – but we must pick up the pace, he said. On this International Day of Clean Energy, we can feel the world shifting – but we must pick up the pace, he further said.
The science indicates that we are likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius temporarily, and it is our duty to minimize this overshoot through a just transition from fossil fuels to renewables, which are the most affordable energy source. Last year, renewables outperformed coal in global electricity generation, offering benefits such as improved health, education, and job creation, while also insulating economies from market fluctuations. However, the transition is not rapid enough, with inadequate grid infrastructure and high costs impeding progress. To address this, global renewable capacity must be tripled by 2030 through policy support, grid modernization, diversified supply chains, and reduced financial barriers, particularly for developing nations. The transition must prioritize justice, ensuring worker protection and expanded opportunities as energy systems adapt. A clean energy future is achievable if we act decisively, he had mentioned.
The International Day of Clean Energy is being observed on 26th January with aims to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet. Clean energy plays a key role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and helping communities access reliable power sources.
On 26 January 2023, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Resolution 77/327 proclaiming 26 January as International Day of Clean Energy, to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was also founded on 26 January.
It is widely taken that clean energy is energy gained from sources that do not release air pollutants, while green energy is energy derived from natural sources. There is a subtle difference between these two energy types even though they are often spoken of as being the same.
Moreover, energy is one of the most important inputs for modern economics, as it improves the socioeconomic development and well-being of society. Worldwide, the demand for energy has rapidly risen owing to an increase in the population and industrial sectors, leading to increased use of non-renewable energy resources, such as petroleum and coal. Ensuring universal access to affordable energy services has been identified as one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for 2030. The expansion of the energy infrastructure and efficient technology upgrades, facilitating clean energy services, remain challenging for most developing countries. With rising concerns over environmental sustainability, the focus of energy policies has generally shifted from inefficient technology and traditional energy resources toward improved technologies and clean energy resources, especially in the context of developing countries.
Clean energy is energy gained from sources that do not release air pollutants, while green energy is energy derived from natural sources. There is a subtle difference between these two energy types even though they are often spoken of as being the same.
The perfect clean energy mix occurs where green energy meets renewable energy, such as with solar energy and wind energy.
The most important aspect of clean energy are the environmental benefits as part of a global energy future. While clean, renewable resources also preserve the world’s natural resources, they also reduce the risk of environmental disasters, such as fuel spills or the problems associated with natural gas leaks. With fuel diversification, through different power plants using different energy sources, it is possible to create reliable power supplies to enhance energy security, ensuring there is enough to meet our demands. Therefore, when clean energy is taken as a specific term that simply represents its non- harming feature mainly. Energy generated with non-harming feature carries a number of benefits against the energy generated by fossil fuels as resource.
Clean energy provides a variety of environmental and economic benefits, including a reduction in air pollution. A diverse clean energy supply also reduces the dependence on imported fuels (and the associated financial and environmental costs this incurs).
Renewable clean energy also has inherent cost savings, as there is no need to extract and transport fuels, such as with oil or coal, as the resources replenish themselves naturally. Other industrial benefits of a clean energy mix is the creation of jobs to develop, manufacture and install the clean energy resources of the future.
Humans have been using fossil fuels for over 150 years and, as their use increased, so did the release of the greenhouse gases that are produced when these fuels are burned. These greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere causing the temperature of the Earth to rise. This global warming is one symptom of climate change that has seen a rise in extreme weather events, shifting wildlife habitats and populations, rising sea levels and other impacts.
Because renewable energy sources don’t emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, they do not contribute to global warming. These renewable sources mean that climate change is not being advanced, while measures such as reforestation can help to alleviate the damage already done to the climate, combining to reduce global warming.
So far, humans are using fossil fuels for decades, meaning that the switch to clean energy has been relatively recent. As a result, renewable energy sources are still seen as being unpredictable and do not yet meet our global power demands. This means that renewable energy is still being topped up with carbon-based energy sources.
However, it is believed that our energy needs can be balanced by the efficient storing of renewable energy so it can be used when the demand is present. A great deal of work is being done to improve the infrastructure and storage capabilities of clean energy, with experts saying that clean renewable energy could replace fossil fuels by 2050.
To be truly clean the carbon cost of production and storage needs to be zero, and this is where sources such as solar power and wind energy are seen as being truly clean and renewable.
Hydropower is a clean and sustainable source of energy that doesn’t use fossil fuels or emit greenhouse gases. Nepal’s mountainous topography and steep gradients make it a good place for hydropower, but economic and other constraints have limited its potential.
Solar energy is Nepal’s proximity to the equator means it gets a lot of solar radiation, making it a good place for solar energy development. The government has started encouraging the use of solar energy in homes and businesses.
Energy from wind in Nepal’s hilly and mountain regions have great potential for wind energy, though it’s still in its early stages of development. In Nepal, it has a lot of biomass energy, including agricultural waste and forest leftovers that can be used to generate power. (By R. P. Narayan)
