The question is no longer whether governments, businesses and investors should back clean electricity. It's whether they can turn ambition into infrastructure, policy and investment quickly enough – and make the benefits real in people’s everyday lives.
Energy security has changed the political discussion
That shift matters because the politics of energy have changed. Two fossil fuel shocks in six years have exposed the fragility of relying on fossil fuels. Events connected to the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Iran have played havoc with corporate and government balance sheets, sharpened concerns about energy security, and reminded the public that energy policy is never abstract: when bills rise and supply chains strain, politicians come under pressure to take action.
This is why renewables and electrification are now being recognised not only as climate solutions, but as sources of stability, security and competitiveness. As one speaker put it, in the modern world there is no national security without energy security. And, it is becoming increasingly clear that countries and companies that have invested early in clean power have been better shielded from recent shocks. That is not a theoretical benefit; it is already visible in boardrooms, treasuries and households.
A global race, not a niche debate
The second lesson from New York is that this is now a global opportunity, not a niche climate conversation. At the Climate Week NYC Opening Ceremony, the Prime Minister of Australia and the UK Foreign Secretary set out why their governments are acting. At the Global Renewables Summit, leaders, ministers and governors from Ethiopia, Korea, Palau and the Bahamas and Lagos, alongside the COP31 Presidency, made clear that electrification is becoming central to national economic strategy.
That breadth is important. Too often, climate debates are framed as a burden to be shared. Electrification offers a different story: cleaner power, lower exposure to fossil fuel volatility, stronger industrial competitiveness and a route to modern energy access. It is a story that can unite developed and developing economies, cities and regions, business and government – if it is matched by delivery.
The benefits must become visible
The benefits of electrification will not sell themselves – especially if we don’t find ways to capitalise on the real quality of life and cost of living benefits. In too many places, fossil fuel subsidies and outdated policy choices still mean consumers do not yet feel the financial gains of switching to clean electricity. If policymakers want public support for the next phase of the transition, they need to make the benefits visible in people’s lives: cheaper bills, healthier homes, cleaner air, better transport and more secure jobs.
That means empowering local and regional leaders. At a business electrification roundtable, we heard the good and the bad. One theme that came through loud and clear was that this is an implementation challenge. Permitting, grid congestion and coordination all require a bottom up, rather than a top down approach. We need new partnerships between business and government that can move from announcements to implementation. As the Governor of Lagos said at the Global Renewables Summit, this is an opportunity we have never had before. We need to make sure that we aren’t here next year lamenting a lack of progress. Because nobody wants to lament.
Delivery is the real test
There is already much to celebrate. Renewables are bringing clean, affordable energy to places that have never had it. But the scale of the task remains stark: around 650 million people still lack access to electricity, most of them in the Global South, particularly Africa. Electrification can help close that gap, but only if the finance and infrastructure needed to deliver it are in place.
The challenge now is to move beyond making the case for action in conference halls and make the transition tangible in homes, businesses and communities. That means delivering cleaner air, more reliable energy, better transport, good jobs and lower costs – benefits people can see and feel.
Because the future of electrification will not be judged by the ambition of our announcements, but by what changes on the ground.
The real measure of progress is simple: can people feel the difference?
Written by Climate Group's Head of Policy, Andrew Forth.