Every year on 16 June, South Africa commemorates Youth Day and honours the courage of the young people who stood up for dignity, equality, and a better future in 1976.

Fifty years later, young people continue to face barriers that limit their opportunities and undermine that vision. While democracy opened many doors, millions of young South Africans are still locked out of opportunities by poverty, unemployment, and the rising cost of living.

One of the most overlooked barriers is access to affordable electricity.

As South Africa prepares for the 2026 Local Government Elections, we must ask: How can young people build their futures without reliable, affordable, and clean energy?

For many households, the promise of opportunity is interrupted by rising electricity costs, disconnections, and an energy system that prioritises profit over people’s needs. For young people in particular, access to affordable electricity can shape the course of their futures. It means being able to study after dark, charge devices needed for learning and job-seeking, access information, and participate in an increasingly digital world. Affordable electricity is therefore about far more than keeping the lights on. It powers opportunity, helping to unlock the rights to education, health, and dignity that every young person deserves. 

Yet South Africa’s energy system continues to fail those who need it most. Around 80% of the country’s electricity still comes from ageing coal-fired power stations, locking communities into a system that is polluting, expensive, and increasingly unreliable. Air pollution linked to coal-fired power generation contributes to thousands of premature deaths every year, while rising electricity costs leave millions in the dark.

Young people are among those hardest hit. With youth unemployment at around 60% and the cost of living continuing to rise, many households are forced to ration electricity or go without it. What should be a basic service has become another source of hardship and inequality.

The Free Basic Electricity (FBE) programme was introduced to support vulnerable households for these kinds of hardships. However, despite its intention, millions of eligible families remain excluded due to administrative barriers and outdated systems. 

It’s not like there is no solution. South Africa has abundant renewable energy resources and the potential to build an energy system that delivers clean, affordable, reliable power to communities. With the right investments, municipalities can play a leading role in generating and distributing publicly owned renewable energy that strengthens local economies and expands access to electricity.

Expanding FBE from 50 kWh to 350 kWh through municipally owned renewable energy would help ensure households can meet their basic energy needs while reducing dependence on expensive, polluting fossil fuels. More than a social support measure, an expanded FBE programme is an investment in education, employment, public health, and economic opportunity. It is an investment in the future of South Africa’s young people.

The generation of 1976 fought to transform the South Africa they inherited. Today’s generation must do the same. Ours is to ensure that future generations inherit a country where access to affordable energy, economic opportunity, and a healthy environment is not a privilege but a right enjoyed by all. A better future requires more than promises. It requires power.

—

Author: Boitumelo Masipa

The post Powering the Future: Why Energy Justice is a Youth Issue appeared first on 350.

When the US-Israel war in Iran began, it took just one 50km waterway to remind the entire world how fragile fossil fuel dependence really is. Oil prices spiked, energy bills surged, and households from Asia to Europe were left absorbing the cost of a crisis they had no part in creating. 

We are all currently living through the second major energy crisis in five years. And it’s raising the same question as the first: is the world finally investing in energy that can’t be blockaded, weaponized, or priced out of reach by a conflict on the other side of the globe?

The IEA’s World Energy Investment 2026 report, released earlier this month, tracks where the world’s money is going in energy. This is important because investment is a leading indicator of real, physical things being built: solar plants, wind turbines, power lines, gas pipelines, coal mines. Follow the money, and you can see the future taking shape.

The money is finally moving in the right direction

So the good news first. The report reveals that for the first time in history, clean energy is on track to get nearly twice the investment of fossil fuels in 2026. Renewables, energy storage, power grids and low-emission fuels are attracting US$2.2 trillion this year, compared to US$1.2 trillion still flowing to oil, gas and coal.* Just over a decade ago, in 2015, renewables received just one sixth of the money that went into energy— roughly US$290 billion out of USD US$1.8 trillion. Today clean energy commands two-thirds of all global energy investment. 

Solar is leading the charge, pulling in US$365 billion – which is US$1 billion every single day. A decade ago, building 1 gigawatt of solar capacity cost US$3 billion. Today it costs US$700 million. That 80% cost decrease is why solar has grown nearly ten times and why its fast becoming the energy source of first resort in places that can no longer afford to wait for governments to move away from fossil fuels. The unglamorous infrastructure of a renewable future, grids and batteries, is also finally getting the capital it has long been denied with grid investment up nearly 20% to US$550 billion, and battery storage crossing US$100 billion.

The report also reveals that when the fossil fuel system fails people, they don’t wait. After declaring a national energy emergency in March 2026 as a result of the ongoing global energy crisis, the Philippines tripled its solar imports in a single quarter. Fifteen African countries recorded nearly as many solar imports in the first three months of 2026 as in all of 2025 combined. In India, when LNG supplies were disrupted in early 2026, households switched to induction cookstoves. EV sales in Southeast Asia more than doubled in 2025, reaching half a million with a nearly 20% market share — up from just 9% in 2023. European heat pump sales jumped 17% in the first quarter of 2026, even as governments cut subsidies.

The world is moving towards renewables, faster and more irreversibly than any single government, conflict or corporate lobby can stop — and this report, for all its uncomfortable contradictions (that you’ll read below), confirms it.

The money flowing into clean energy is not reaching the people that need it most

Now the bad news. Renewables attracting nearly twice the investment of fossil fuels is, by any measure, a significant shift. But look at where that money is actually going, and a very different picture emerges. Wealthy countries and China account for more than 70% of all energy investment in 2026. 

Emerging economies, home to two-thirds of the world’s population, receive less than 30% of global energy investment, and just 20% of power sector investment specifically. This is because borrowing costs in emerging economies are already double those of wealthy nations and China — meaning the same solar project that makes financial sense in Germany simply does not pencil out in Ghana. Higher financing costs are not a minor inconvenience; they are the difference between a project happening and not happening at all.

And yet the proof that clean energy works — for energy security, for affordability, for independence from volatile fossil fuel markets — is right there in the data. Clean energy investments saved China, the European Union, Japan and Korea, Southeast Asia and India a combined US$260 billion in 2025 alone. That money would otherwise have been spent in fossil fuels subsidies or costs, but was made free for other investments – like better schools, health systems and extreme weather protection. China had the largest benefit at US$110 billion. Those savings are real. But they must also reach the two-thirds of humanity that needs them most.

Coal and gas investments is rising 

Unfortunately, the report also shows that Big Oil executives didn’t read this energy crisis as a warning to back down. They took the crisis as a chance to expand production and speculate on higher prices. While oil investment is falling for the third year running, companies are already eyeing new offshore frontiers in Africa, Asia and Latin America — waiting to see how high prices go before committing further.

Meanwhile, coal and gas are not waiting at all. Coal investment has hit a 14-year high, reaching US$180 billion in 2026, with China accounting for 70% of it and India having doubled its coal investment over the past decade. Rather than retreating from the crisis, companies are accelerating investment in Africa, Central and South America while simultaneously pushing deeper into LNG. 

Global LNG investment has surged more than 10% to US$330 billion, a ten-year high, driven largely by the United States — where it turns out the biggest new customers for fossil fuel infrastructure are not oil companies but tech giants. Gas turbine orders hit a 25-year high in 2025, with American tech companies ordering US$28 billion worth of turbines for onsite power generation alone. The AI boom is being built on fossil fuels and those data centres, already consuming 1.5% of global electricity, are on track to more than double their demand by 2030. 

None of this is consequence-free, neither for us or our planet. Coal is the single largest contributor to the human-caused climate crisis, responsible for over 40% of global CO₂ emissions. And gas — still marketed in some quarters as a transition fuel — leaks methane at every stage of production, a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period. Every billion that goes into new fossil fuel infrastructure is a decision to lock in decades of emissions the planet has no room left to absorb. 

The contradiction in this report is not a market failure. It is a choice.

While the war in South West Asia (Middle East) did not create the energy transition, it has made its urgency impossible to argue with. Energy generated from the sun and wind cannot be blockaded, weaponized or held hostage the same way as fossil fuel shipping routes can be.

And yet, beyond all logic, billions are still being poured into coal mines, gas pipelines and LNG terminals — infrastructure built to last decades, for a fuel system the world is already moving away from. Every dollar spent locking in fossil fuel dependency is a bet against the direction the world is already travelling — and a cost that will ultimately be borne by the communities least responsible for the crisis.

The renewable revolution is not a future event. It is happening now, in the Philippines, in India, in fifteen African countries quietly breaking solar import records while the headlines focus elsewhere. Now the trillions still flowing to coal, gas and oil need to be stopped urgently. 

Governments have a choice. Stop enabling polluters, and urgently invest money into renewables. 

So do we. Let’s demand better.

*The IEA’s $2.2 trillion figure for ‘clean energy’ includes nuclear energy alongside renewables, storage, grids and low-emission fuels. 350.org does not support nuclear as clean energy due its carbon intensive set-up and proven high risk of deadly disasters. We use the IEA’s aggregate here for reference only. 

The post Clean energy just hit record investment appeared first on 350.

Africa stands at a pivotal crossroads. As the climate crisis intensifies in the region, it is disproportionately crushing marginalized communities, particularly women and youth. Yet, our continent is home to the world’s most abundant renewable energy resources and a vibrant, youth-driven climate movement ready to claim the future.

Every year leading up to Africa Day on May 25, Afrika Vuka Week serves as our annual moment to channel Pan-African solidarity into bold, collective action for climate justice. This year, under the banner of REPower Afrika, our message was loud, clear, and uncompromising: Access to affordable energy is a human right –  End the Political Crisis.

We are building a pan-African movement advocating for clean energy that is rooted in people’s power and the lived realities of everyday Africans.

The problem: we pay, they profit

Africa is currently trapped in a severe, manufactured energy crisis. Decades of fossil fuel extraction have left 600 million Africans without electricity access. The continent contributes only a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it continues to suffer disproportionately from fuel price spikes, debt distress, inflation, and food insecurity tied to global oil and gas markets. 

Ongoing global conflicts and supply chain disruptions have caused the prices of fossil fuels like gas and oil to spike yet again. While multinational corporations rake in record-breaking profits from these crises, African governments, ordinary households and businesses are being pushed into deep debt. In 2026 alone, six major oil corporations — Chevron, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, and TotalEnergies — are projected to pocket $94 billion in fossil fuel profits: enough to provide solar power for the energy needs of almost 50 million people in Africa.

When fossil energy prices skyrocket, the cost of everything else follows: transportation costs spike, groceries and basic food items become unaffordable and monthly utility bills grow unmanageable. This situation is the direct result of a global system built on fossil fuels that prioritizes the profits of a few companies over the lives of millions.

A deeply unjust, gendered burden

This crisis is not gender-neutral, it hits women the hardest. Across Africa, the structural failure to provide affordable energy fuels the feminization of poverty. Women spend up to 4 hours a day on unpaid care work — triple the time of men — searching for firewood or cooking over dangerous kerosene and charcoal stoves, with 70% of rural Sub-Saharan Africa still dependent on traditional biomass.  The consequences are devastating:  severe, long-term health problems and forcing women to scramble to afford basic necessities. We cannot solve our continent’s poverty and health crises as long as we remain tied to expensive, volatile fossil fuels. It is time to put people over profits.

How Afrika Vuka Week 2026 took this fight to the streets, schools and town halls

Last month,  the 23 to 30May, we mobilized during Afrika Vuka Week 2026 under the banner of  Pan-African solidarity to redefine the energy crisis not just as a technical challenge, but as a fundamental human right and a pressing political crisis.

Over the seven days of  coordinated actions across the continent, we shifted the narrative. We made sure  affordable renewable energy was at the center of political debate and  community voices were leading  the fight for an equitable energy transition. Our  cost of living stories from locals put a human face to what rising fossil fuel prices actually mean:  unaffordability of daily life.

Throughout the Week of Action, local groups tailored interventions to their unique realities. From grassroots organizing to creative expression, communities mobilized in many ways:

Through marches and awareness walks, we demanded political accountability, including a bike march in Democratic Republic of Congo by Shujaa Initiative. 

Artivism, concerts, and pop-culture captured the spirit of resistance with Green Society holding a Art4Climate workshop in Egypt led by Professional Visual Artist Hossna Hanafy

Educational talks in schools and universities to equip the next generation like the one in Nigeria led by Quest For Growth and Development Foundation at the Community Secondary School, Rumuodumaya, Port Harcourt.

Community Dialogues & Town Halls shared lived experiences such as the Renewable Energy Assembly in Uganda led by the Centre for Environmental Research and Agriculture Innovation (CERAI) and Youth for Nature Conservancy (YNC). 

The results speak for themselves. The REPower Afrika campaign is now recognized across the continent as the definitive roadmap for a just transition away from expensive fossil fuels. Local groups owned the campaign, driving solutions built around their communities’ real needs. Because true energy justice isn’t just about switching to solar, geothermal, and wind. It’s about doing it fairly, democratically, affordably and without saddling African nations with yet more debt.

Here is what we are fighting for: a renewable energy future that dismantles the exploitative, debt-heavy funding models that burden our people. Instead, we champion community-owned, decentralized solutions. Africa rises with the sun and wind – our energy transition must empower our people, not foreign creditors.

Join the Movement: 

The Afrika Vuka Network is calling for an immediate shift toward community-led renewable energy. People deserve clean, affordable energy that puts our needs first – and it is time for our governments to deliver it. 

#AffordableEnergy – Let’s claim it together! Join our whatsapp channel for the latest updates!

The post Afrika Vuka Week 2026 appeared first on 350.

This post first appeared on 350Pacific.org.

When Fijians received news of increased fuel prices due to the war in West Asia, scores of everyday people lined up to secure fuel supplies for transport, outdoor cooking stoves, and diesel generators. Families began budgeting for the sharp increase in groceries and public transportation, tour operators planned for a rise in operating cost, sugarcane farmers projected heavier workloads, and communities in remote island areas began to suffer higher boat fares.

The impact of volatile fossil fuel markets has cascaded down onto everyday people who are already living on the frontlines of intensifying climate impacts. One of the most recent impacts seen in Fiji is the announcement of possible “power rationing” by Energy Fiji Limited, due to escalating global fuel prices, increased dependence on thermal generation and worsening dry season conditions.

Access to reliable and safe electricity is essential to community development. It allows students to study when required, fisherfolk to keep their catch fresher for longer, rural homes to access drinking water through water pumps, and communications channels to stay open during emergencies. Renewable energy, particularly rooftop solar, has the potential to address the chasms that fossil-fuel reliance has pushed our people into.

This year, Fiji is one of the Pacific nations chasing an ambitious renewable energy target, despite the Pacific contributing only 0.03% of global emissions. This is aligned with the COP28 pledge to triple renewable energy globally, as well as the recently adopted UN resolution on states legal obligations to climate action.

The just energy transition has never been more timely, not only for climate action but for the growing affordability and energy crises that plague our islands. What many don’t see when reading these headlines are the individuals on the ground, doing their part to ensure these targets are met. Those outside the boardrooms and international negotiations, working both to combat the cost of living crisis and the energy crisis. One such person is Fijian solar energy provider, Pita Tamani.

Pita started as a regular electrician and is now the Founder and Managing Director of Electrify Energy Monkey, a company he started after learning the benefits of solar power as both a source of energy and income for young Fijians.

Pita initially completed his training and worked as an electrician in Nausori for two years, before returning to his village, where he first encountered the ripple effects of renewable energy access.

“I met two men that came to my village to do an inspection for solar energy. They came to inspect a well, where they would eventually design a solar system to run a pump, extract water from the well to a holding tank, and supply several houses close to that well with water,” recalled Pita.

Through the roll-out of renewable energy, communities can go on to power water access, refrigeration, co-op stores and a multitude of other facilities. However, as a practitioner in renewable energy, Pita saw the potential for personal growth as well as community development.

“One of the men that came to install solar in my village told me a story that he had traveled overseas and to a lot of places because of his trade, and he was also an electrician. I asked him if there were any vacancies, and that’s when I first engaged in renewables and solar. I worked for them for three years. Then I got an opportunity to go to Australia. There, I learnt the massive potential for solar energy and all of the things I needed to know as an electrician, and as a solar technician.”

The step from electrician to entrepreneur was driven by Pita’s lived experience as a young Fijian boy watching his mother work to provide better opportunities for him.

“I was raised by a single parent, so I saw the challenges she went through to bring me up, pay my school fees and such. What I saw motivated me to build something of my own and help people from it,” says Pita.

As Fijians feel the pinch of rising costs of living, a future powered by renewable energy has the potential to alleviate much of the strain caused by cost of living crises like the one the Pacific is currently facing.

“I think that sort of financial independence is really important. What we’re doing is giving people energy independence with distributed renewable energy, even if they don’t have access to the grid, “ says Pita.

The benefits of solar energy are not limited to energy access in rural or remote areas disconnected from the national grid. Recent threats to electricity access, caused by global fuel instability, have driven many urban-dwellers to consider the benefits of generating and storing their own renewable energy.

“People are not really aware of the benefits of engaging a solar system nowadays. Not only solar, but any type of renewable energy. Even in urban areas, it’s going to offset their bill. It’s a healthy long-term investment for people living in urban areas because you can get your returns if you sell back to the grid,” said Pita.

When asked if Fiji’s target of 100% renewable energy was achievable, Pita agreed our islands are more than able to move beyond fossil fuels, given that our people are equipped with the expertise and skills to drive the energy transition.

“We can source good materials in the country, but the end result of renewable energy, such as solar, depends on installation. If we don’t have the expertise in this space, then it’s going to take us a long time trying to engage the skill set required to get us to 100% renewable energy. We are headed towards a renewable-driven future but if our technicians are not ready, this future will be delayed. If we are ready for on-the-ground implementation, then we can achieve a Pacific powered by renewables, ” Pita said.

Despite the potential economic, environmental and social benefits of renewable energy, Pita believes that Fiji and the Pacific require an increase in the technical expertise of renewable energy, and trainings to ensure our people are able to build and manage our own renewable energy infrastructure.

One such effort to equip Pacific communities with the skills needed to generate their own electricity is the Solar Scholars training, scheduled to take place from May 26 – May 29 in Nadi, Fiji.

Fifteen community leaders from around the Pacific will learn to assemble solar PV systems that will be used to power basic services, reducing the strain of rising fuel costs and providing emergency energy during power outages. In a training organised by 350.org Pacific and the Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), participants from Fiji, Tuvalu and Vanuatu will join the Solar Scholars program, and assist with two community solar installations in Yavulo Village and Lautoka City.

350.org Pacific and Caribbean Program Lead, Fenton Lutunatabua, stressed the importance of energy democracy and community-centered solutions in a time where fossil fuel companies continue to profit from war-driven price hikes.

“Everyone deserves access to energy to light their homes, to contact their loved ones, to store their food, and to maintain a life of dignity. Just as everyone also deserves a safe and livable future, beyond the devastation of compounding climate disasters,” said Fenton.

“When renewable energy is prioritised and distributed, we move one step closer to a Pacific beyond fossil fuels, a Pacific that stands a better chance of surviving this affordability crisis. When young people are given the skills to better their communities, we make leaps towards a thriving generation of leaders for our region.”

The training will be conducted by the RE-Charge Pilipinas Team of ICSC, who launched the Solar Scholars initiative in 2015 after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Eastern Visayas in the Philippines. This pioneered the creation of the Solar TekPak and community solar photovoltaic (PV) system that could be used to power emergency services in cyclone-prone island communities.

You can follow the journey of the Pacific’s newest Solar Scholars here.

The post As energy costs rise, Pacific people look to the sun appeared first on 350.

This is a guest blog by Yu Sun Chin, Senior Regional Researcher at Zero Carbon Analytics (ZCA).  ZCA is an international research group that provides insights and analysis on climate change and the energy transition.

In the Philippines, families have been seeing their power bills rise over the past few months, especially since the Iran war. 

“When we got our energy bill after the Iran war broke out, we were very shocked. It was wow. It was a significant increase,” Jaime Quemado, who had just bought rooftop solar in Manila, said in a recent AP story about the price shocks. 

The Philippines already has one of the highest power prices in Asia, second only to Singapore, which is a much wealthier country. Low-income households can spend up to 10% of their annual income on electricity, making electricity affordability a big issue.

Imported fossil fuels are pushing up electricity bills

There are many reasons why the country’s power prices are so high, including inefficient coal plants, how expensive it is to transmit power over the country’s 7,600 islands, and the fact that the government doesn’t subsidise electricity costs for consumers, unlike in other Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. 

But a big reason is that the Philippines generates just over three-quarters of its electricity from burning coal and gas in power plants, and a lot of this fuel is imported from other countries.

Importing coal and gas is expensive, and becomes even more so when conflicts like the Iran war squeeze global supply and push up prices. Currently, LNG (liquefied natural gas, a gas cooled into liquid to travel long distances) prices in Asia are more than 70% higher than on February 27, the day before the Iran war began, and coal prices in Asia have risen around 20% over the same time period. A similar thing happened in 2022, when LNG prices hit historical highs in Asia after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Price of fossil fuels in Asia have increased since the war in Iran. Credit: Zero Carbon Analytics

As the fuels used for power get pricier, electricity becomes more expensive to produce, and increases in global coal, oil and gas prices are felt in consumers’ pockets – especially in countries that rely on imported fossil fuels for power. In the Philippines, households literally see an increasing “generation charge” in their monthly electricity bills, which refers to how much it costs to produce electricity. 

Poorer families will be hit hardest by rising energy prices – research shows that poorer Filipinos will lose a higher percentage of their income from energy price shocks than richer Filipinos, because, in addition to paying more for fuel and power, rising energy prices also raise food prices.

But the Philippines isn’t the only country that imports a lot of fossil fuels. Many countries across the world meet the majority of their energy needs with fossil fuel imports, including Japan, Korea, Türkiye and Germany, according to think tank Ember. 

Other countries in South and Southeast Asia, like Thailand and Pakistan, import substantial amounts of gas, which they use to generate power. Thailand relies on gas to generate about two-thirds of its electricity, and Pakistan relies on it for around one-third. As a result, power bills are also going up in many of these countries, including Türkiye and Pakistan.   

Governments in Asia are rushing to get renewables online

These high electricity bills aren’t inevitable – they are a result of power systems that are built to rely on turbulent fossil fuel markets. A system that uses renewable energy sources, like wind or solar PV, can help lower power prices. Once they are up and running, wind and solar power don’t require fuel – apart from sun and wind, which are free – so there are no fuel costs to fluctuate. Solar can produce stable power for up to 30 years.

Research has shown that it is already cheaper to produce electricity from solar than from gas in the Philippines. The same is true in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, like Vietnam and Malaysia. 

In the Philippines, the government is taking note and rushing solar power online. On March 30, the government said it had activated 250 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity – equivalent to 8% of the county’s 2024 solar capacity – and 450 megawatt-hour (MWh) of battery storage. It has also said it would fast-track the completion of 22 power projects to bring an additional 1.47 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy and storage online by the end of April. 

Many are turning to solar panels to generate electricity as they are cheaper than oil and gas. Image credit: ulleo, Pixabay

Filipino homeowners are also hurrying to install solar panels, with rooftop solar becoming increasingly popular. A survey of 20 local solar companies saw a 70% rise in weekly installations and a six-fold increase in customer inquiries since the Iran war began, according to the AP.

Thailand is also seeing a surge in inquiries about installing new solar since the start of the Iran war, according to media reports. In April, the Thai government also approved THB 5 billion (about USD 156 million) in loans for people to install rooftop solar and buy EVs.

In fact, our recent research found that 15 Asian countries have announced clean energy measures in response to the Iran war.

Many asian countries have announced clean energy measures in response to the war in Iran. Credit: Zero Carbon Analytics

More renewable energy is good for energy bills and the planet

All of this new solar is good news for consumers’ pockets. If the Philippines continues to expand solar and use it to replace imported coal and gas in the power mix, it will help to lower electricity bills. The same is true for Thailand – we calculated that Thai households with solar could have saved 77% on their power bills compared to households without solar in 2024, saving an average THB 8340 (about USD 260).

New solar is also good news for the planet. More renewable energy means fewer emissions from coal and gas plants, which will help to slow global warming and lessen the chances of climate impacts and extreme weather. This is especially important in Southeast Asia, which is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate disasters. 

The Iran war has reminded us that imported coal and gas are an expensive and risky way to generate power, just four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed the same. Choosing to replace fossil fuel generation with renewable energy will help to protect families from paying the price of such global crises.

The post Out of Pocket: The real cost of importing fossil fuels on electricity bills appeared first on 350.

Some are already calling it a “Super El Niño”. But what exactly is El Niño and what does it have to do with the fossil fuels driving the climate crisis? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is El Niño?

Every two to seven years, the surface waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean warm significantly above their normal temperature, and when they do, it throws the entire planet’s weather off balance. This phenomenon is called El Niño.

The science

Normally, trade winds in the Pacific act like a giant fan blowing across the tropics, pushing warm surface water westward toward Australia and Indonesia — bringing rainfall, healthy monsoons, and productive oceans. Meanwhile, cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface in the east, keeping fisheries alive and climates stable along the coasts of Peru and Ecuador in South America. But every few years those trade winds weaken, warm water stops being pushed west, and the eastern Pacific heats up. And when it happens, that balance collapses: Australia and Indonesia face drought, South America faces floods, and weather systems that billions of people depend on are thrown into disarray across the entire planet.

El Niño develops through the warming of the surface water in the Pacific.  (Getty Images)

The name El Niño, Spanish for “the boy child”, refers to the baby Jesus. It was originally coined by South American fishermen who noticed a warm ocean current off the coasts of Ecuador and Peru around Christmas time as far back as the 1600s.

El Niño is one phase of a larger natural climate cycle called ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation). Its counterpart, La Niña (meaning “girl child”), is the opposite: a cooling of the same Pacific waters, with strengthened trade winds. Together, El Niño and La Niña swing global weather patterns like a pendulum. El Niño brings drought to South and Southeast Asia, Australia, and southern Africa, while delivering heavier rainfall to parts of South America. And La Niña brings the reverse of many of those patterns.

Neither event is a disaster by itself, rather they have been part of Earth’s natural climate rhythm for thousands of years. The problems start when they become extreme, especially when the world they arrive in is already stressed.

What’s happening right now?

This year, something different is happening. The Pacific has just swung out of a La Niña cooling phase, and El Niño is developing unusually fast. The question is just how big it gets.

For an El Niño to be officially declared, ocean temperatures only need to rise 0.5°C above average. But the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, now puts an 82% chance of El Niño developing by July 2026, and this one is already looking far more serious than its predecessors. 

A “Super El Niño” is when temperatures surge 2°C or more above normal. That threshold has only been crossed a handful of times in recorded history — in 1982, 1997, and 2015. Each time, it triggered droughts, floods, and record temperatures across multiple continents. But the El Niño in 1876-78 is considered one of the strongest on record, and led to a global famine that killed around 50 million people across India, China, Brazil, and southern Africa. That was about 1 in every 28 people alive at the time. It remains the benchmark for worst-case El Niño events in human history. 

Right now, forecasts are warning that this El Niño could push ocean temperatures 2°C or even 3°C above normal by the end of 2026. Three of the world’s top forecasting agencies project El Niño 2026 will likely match, or surpass, the 1878 El Niño in ocean temperature. And unlike 1877, this one is arriving in a world that is already hotter, with more people to feed and less room for error. Many scientists are already predicting 2027 will be the warmest year ever recorded.

Impacts

The human stakes are quite high, and they look different depending on where you live. Africa faces some of the worst exposure: drought in the Sahel and southern Africa threatens staple crops like maize, while East Africa faces major flooding. The last major El Niño left over 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance in southern Africa alone. In Asia, a weaker monsoon puts India’s rice, wheat, and cotton harvests at risk, while drought conditions threaten crops across Southeast Asia and Australia. In Latin America, Central America faces prolonged drought and food insecurity, while Peru, Ecuador, and southern Brazil face the opposite: intense rainfall and flooding. The crops most people depend on — maize, rice, and wheat — all tend to fall globally during strong El Niño years. In wealthy countries, that means higher food prices. In others, it means hunger.

And this is all hitting a world already under strain — fertilizer shortages, energy price spikes, and sweeping cuts to foreign aid have stripped away the buffers that once helped vulnerable communities absorb these shocks.

Why fossil fuels make El Niño impacts so much worse

Here’s the critical point that often gets lost in the headlines: El Niño itself is not caused by climate change. But the climate crisis, driven by burning fossil fuels, is making its effects dramatically worse.

Think of it this way. El Niño temporarily releases enormous amounts of heat stored in the ocean into the atmosphere. That has always caused disruption. But today, that heat is being released into a world already running hotter than it has in human history. So when El Niño pulses on top of that elevated baseline, the consequences are more severe than any comparable event from decades past.

“Global warming is giving more energy to the whole system to be unearthed by these El Niño events when they occur.”

–  Dr Daniel Swain, climate scientist

In other words, global heating acts as a fuel that amplifies El Niño’s natural force — and that extra energy has real consequences: heavier downpours and more destructive storms, faster-spreading wildfires as higher temperatures dry out vegetation, more severe droughts in regions already vulnerable during El Niño years, and record-breaking temperatures. 

Some research also suggests that warming oceans may be making individual El Niño events stronger, though scientists are still working to fully understand that link. What is clear is that the baseline the world is dealing with has already shifted. Fifty years ago, a strong El Niño caused serious damage. Today, that same event would be far more destructive because the climate crisis has already raised the stakes.

Researchers also warn of a vicious cycle: strong El Niño events hit hydropower-dependent regions with droughts, forcing them to burn more coal and gas for electricity — which in turn pumps more carbon into the atmosphere and drives further heating. El Niño and fossil fuels then go on to reinforce one another’s worst effects. 

What this means for the climate fight

A Super El Niño is not a reason to panic, but more so a reason to act. These events come and go. What doesn’t go away is the underlying warming driven by fossil fuels. Every fraction of a degree that burning coal, oil, and gas adds to the global baseline makes the next El Niño more destructive.

Some climate models now show a meaningful chance that 2026 or 2027 could see global monthly temperatures briefly exceed 2.0°C above preindustrial levels for the first time in recorded history. They are the temperatures at which weather systems break down, crops fail, and the precarity built up by decades of climate inaction becomes catastrophic.

We know exactly what to do. The technology exists. The knowledge exists. The path forward is a rapid, just phase-out of fossil fuels, and a shift to renewable energy that doesn’t leave vulnerable communities behind.

El Niño will pass. The climate crisis won’t, unless we end the era of fossil fuels.

Join 350’s Great Power Shift campaign to phase out fossil fuels, usher in renewables and hold the polluters accountable.

The post El Niño 2026: what’s happening? appeared first on 350.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world lately, you’re not alone.

Every day seems to bring another crisis: rising costs, deepening inequality, escalating conflicts, and climate disasters arriving faster and harder than before. It can feel relentless.

But beyond the headlines, something else is happening too.

Across the world, ordinary people are building the future we’ve been fighting for – together, in their communities, with their own hands. They are organizing, installing solar panels, demanding accountability, and proving that another kind of future is not only possible, but already underway.

This week alone, we’ve seen powerful reminders of that.

1. The United Nations took a historic step on climate accountability

United Nations member states have adopted a landmark resolution affirming that governments have a legal responsibility to act on climate change. The move follows the groundbreaking advisory opinion issued earlier this year by the International Court of Justice.

More than two-thirds of UN member states, 141, voted in favour of the resolution on Wednesday, with eight voting No and 28 abstaining.

For years, climate movements around the world have pushed for accountability from the countries and corporations most responsible for the crisis. While this resolution does not solve everything overnight, it marks a significant shift: climate justice is becoming impossible to ignore at the highest levels of global power.

This is what sustained public pressure can achieve. Change rarely comes all at once, but movements create momentum, and momentum matters.

2. Pacific communities are building energy sovereignty

In Nadi, Fiji, community leaders from Fiji, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are currently taking part in a hands-on Solar Scholars training led by 350 Pacific and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

By the end of the training, participants will have assembled and installed two community-owned solar systems: one serving a village in Sigatoka and another powering a kindergarten in Lautoka.

That means children will be able to go to school with reliable electricity and communities will have greater control over their own energy future.

“One of the dreams has always been to learn how to reach out to communities and bring energy sovereignty in our communities,” said 350 Pacific Coordinator George Nacewa.
This is what a just energy transition looks like: communities building solutions for themselves, rooted in care, self-determination, and shared knowledge.

3. People around the world are demanding renewable energy

New polling across 13 countries, including Brazil, India, Colombia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, shows something striking: people increasingly understand that fossil fuels are tied to conflict, instability, and rising living costs. They want something different.

Across political divides, majorities support investing in solar and wind energy, taxing excessive fossil fuel profits, reducing dependence on oil and gas, and treating energy as a public good rather than a source of corporate profit.

The message is clear. People want energy systems that are cleaner, fairer, more stable, and more affordable. Governments now need to catch up with the public.

4. Southeast Asia is embracing rooftop solar

As global fuel prices continue to rise, families and governments across Southeast Asia are increasingly turning to rooftop solar.

In the Philippines, solar installations have surged by 70%, while customer inquiries reportedly increased six-fold following the recent Iran conflict. Indonesia aims to expand rooftop solar capacity from 1.3 gigawatts today to 100 gigawatts by 2034. Vietnam and Thailand are also introducing new policies and targets to accelerate solar adoption on homes and public buildings. This is people power in action.

When renewable energy becomes accessible, people choose it, because it lowers costs, increases energy security, and offers a path away from dependence on volatile fossil fuels.

Every rooftop panel represents more than electricity. It represents a choice for a different future.

5. Africa is mobilizing for affordable, community-owned energy

Across the African continent this week, thousands of activists, young people, and community organizations are mobilizing as part of AfrikaVuka Week.

Their demand is simple but powerful: stop expanding fossil fuels and start investing in affordable, community-owned renewable energy.

For decades, fossil fuel expansion has been framed as development, even while millions of people continue to lack access to reliable and affordable electricity. Afrika Vuka Week challenges that narrative by calling for energy systems that prioritize people, not corporate profits.

Climate justice and energy justice are inseparable, and communities across Africa are making that connection impossible to ignore.

The transition is already happening

It is easy to believe that progress is too slow, or that powerful interests will always stand in the way of change.

But around the world, the transition is already underway.

Communities are organizing. Families are choosing renewable energy. Young people are demanding accountability. Movements are growing stronger across borders.

And together, they are proving something important: a safer, fairer, more affordable future is not a distant dream. It is already being built.

Across the world, people are proving that another energy future is possible. Join the Great Power Shift campaign and help build a future powered by the people, not fossil fuels.

The post 5 pieces of good climate news that you probably missed recently appeared first on 350.

This is a guest blog by Health Care Without Harm, a global movement working at the intersection of climate and health, grounded in a simple reality: more people are being made sick by the conditions around them, and while health care contributes to the problem, it holds a powerful responsibility and opportunity to lead change from within. 

If the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest source of pollution that is driving rising temperatures worldwide. Behind that number is a deeper reality: modern healthcare, like much of our economy, is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. And that dependence comes with a cost that all of us are paying, in our health, in our wallets, and in our daily lives.

The health system runs on fossil fuels and so do the harms it treats

From the electricity that powers hospitals, to the production and transport of medicines, to the plastics used in packaging and everyday care, fossil fuels are embedded in nearly every step of the healthcare system. In fact, the vast majority of health care emissions come from fossil fuel use.

Plastics are a key part of this story. Today, around 99 percent of plastics are made from oil and gas. That means everything from gloves and gowns to syringes and packaging is directly tied to fossil fuel extraction and production. And plastics add another layer of harm: from start to finish, they release toxic chemicals and microplastics into the air, water, and even our bodies, linked to serious health risks including cancer, infertility, and respiratory illness.

Plastic is not just waste, it is an ongoing demand for fossil fuels, built into how our hospitals and clinics operate.

At the same time, burning fossil fuels is driving rising temperatures and extreme weather, and are a major source of air pollution. That pollution is responsible for millions of deaths each year. It contributes to asthma, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and complications during pregnancy. It worsens existing conditions and creates new ones.

In other words, the same fossil fueled system damages the air, water, and land we rely on and is also filling our hospital beds.

A patient with sickness sitting in hospital ward bed, waiting to receive treatment and medical assistance from doctor. Photo: magnific.com

We are paying for it twice

There is a hidden double cost to fossil fuels.

First, we pay through our health. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, polluted air, and unsafe water are already affecting communities around the world. Doctors and nurses are seeing it every day, from respiratory illness to the mental health impacts of disasters. Findings show that in 2024, heat-related mortality for people over 65 has increased by 85% compared to the early 2000s, with over 546,000 heat-related deaths occurring annually. In India alone, air pollution is linked to over 1.72 million deaths annually.

Rising temperatures and polluted air have also made India more vulnerable to disease. Photo: PTI

Then we pay again through the cost of care.

Treating these health problems is putting a growing strain on health systems. The costs are staggering: air pollution alone causes trillions of dollars in damage globally each year, while exposure to plastic-related chemicals adds more than $1.5 trillion annually through cancer, diabetes, respiratory illness, lost lives, and reduced productivity. In the US alone, plastic-related diseases cost $250 billion in a single year.These pressures don’t stop at treatment, they ripple through the system, increasing waste management costs, straining supply chains, and compounding operational and financial stress.

This is the price of a fossil fuel dependent system, and it is a price that is rising and that comes out of all of our pockets. Following India’s example, for 2023/24, Indian insurers collected $12.4 billion in health insurance premiums, an increase of about 20% over the previous year. 

As with most crises, the burden is not shared equally. Communities already facing inequality are often the most exposed to pollution, extreme heat, and disasters. They are also the least likely to have access to quality health care when they need it most. Around the world, hundreds of millions of people still lack reliable access to electricity. Many rely on burning charcoal or other fuels at home, exposing families to dangerous indoor air pollution. Women and children are especially affected.

Even within wealthier countries, frontline communities are often the first to feel the impacts and the last to receive support. When disasters hit, it becomes even clearer: health systems can be overwhelmed or disrupted, leaving gaps that communities themselves are forced to fill.

In May last year, for example, a powerful tornado tore through parts of St. Louis in the U.S., causing widespread damage. Homes were destroyed, power was cut, and thousands of people were left without basic support. Many families struggled  to access food, clear debris, or get the healthcare they needed. Community groups stepped in quickly, delivering supplies, checking on neighbors, and helping people replace medications and connect to care.

A drone view shows houses damaged after a tornado struck in St. Louis, Missouri, May 17. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant

But while that response was essential, it also exposed a deeper problem. Communities should not have to carry this burden alone. Disasters like this show the urgent need for stronger systems, better preparedness, and policies that prioritize people’s health and safety before a crisis hits. This means investing in communities ahead of time, ensuring equitable access to care, and building systems that can respond when it matters most.

Healthcare can help lead the way

Healthcare has both the responsibility and the influence to drive change, grounded in a simple principle: do no harm. In a fossil fuel dependent world, that principle is harder to uphold, but it also creates a clear mandate for change.

Health workers, along with tens of thousands of hospitals and leading health ministries, are not only responding to the impacts of rising temperatures, they are actively redesigning the system itself. In practice, this means:

• Switching to decentralized renewable energy: Hospitals are investing in renewable energy to reduce their own pollution, to stay operational during disruptions and reduce exposure to volatile fuel prices.
• Transforming supply chains: Health systems are changing what they buy, choosing products that create less pollution and waste, while making their systems more reliable.
• Reducing reliance on plastics: Hospitals and clinics are cutting unnecessary single use plastics and shifting to safe, reusable alternatives, lowering costs while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
• Reducing unnecessary waste: Improving efficiency – using less and wasting less – helps bring down costs and protects patients and workers.
• Clinicians driving change: Health professionals are spotting what works, cutting pollution, and using their knowledge and leadership to influence decisions.

These are not abstract ideas. They are real, working examples of what a just transition away from polluting fossil fuels can look like in practice. They show that it is possible to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while improving care and lowering costs: Renewable energy means cleaner air and fewer illnesses. Stronger systems mean fewer disruptions and more stable prices.

Health systems are both public and private, so leadership needs to come from across the sector – and beyond it. Hospitals and health workers can lead change, but they cannot do it alone. Transforming healthcare also means rethinking how medicines, devices, and supplies are made and delivered, reducing reliance on fossil fuels at every step. Scaling this shift will require political will. Governments and institutions need to align policies, finance, and incentives with a future that protects health rather than undermines it.

The choice in front of us

The connection between fossil fuels, health, and affordability is visible in our air, our hospitals, our bills and our daily lives.

We can continue to absorb the rising costs of a system that makes us sick, or we can build one that protects health at its core. That means governments putting people before pollution and polluters, accelerating a just transition to renewable energy, rethinking our dependence on plastics, and ending the prioritization of fossil fuel expansion over public health.

The post Out of Pocket: the real cost of fossil fuels on our health and healthcare systems appeared first on 350.

Written by: Ogie Atadero, Energy Transition Campaigner at 350 Pilipinas

There is a particular kind of disbelief that accompanies good news now, especially when it concerns the climate crisis. We have grown used to stories of loss: forests burning, coastlines drowning, heat arriving early and lingering too long. The future has so often been described to us as catastrophe that we forget another possibility exists, that change can sometimes arrive quietly, almost invisibly, carrying not only necessity but relief.

“Saving is happiness,” Ms. Mel Policario said, with the practical certainty of someone who has watched the numbers closely.

She is the Finance Officer of Dr. Yanga’s Colleges Inc. (DYCI), a school in Bulacan, a province located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. DYCI, near the close of 2025, made what sounds at first like a technical decision: to shift to renewable energy through the Green Energy Option Program, or GEOP. But many of the most important transformations begin this way; not with spectacle, but with paperwork, conversations, signatures, and a willingness to imagine that the systems surrounding us are not fixed forever.

GEOP changes the story.

Through the program, qualified consumers can choose renewable energy suppliers directly, receiving clean energy through the same national grid that already powers their buildings and classrooms. No installation crews arrive. No roofs need rebuilding. The electricity travels invisibly, as electricity always has. What changes is the source: somewhere beyond sight, energy generated from renewable sources is fed into the grid and credited to institutions like DYCI.

Eligibility for GEOP is relatively straightforward and is often indicated in the electricity bill of large energy consumers. Initially set at a minimum monthly peak demand of 100 kW, the threshold has since been revised to 50 kW, enabling more institutions to qualify and access renewable energy options.

In the Philippines, we are used to noticing energy only when something goes wrong: during brownouts, rising electricity bills, or the heavy heat of a classroom when the power suddenly cuts out. Electricity is something people feel very personally here.

The savings no one expected

Which is why DYCI’s transition to renewable energy feels quietly remarkable. Nothing about the school suddenly looked different. There were no giant machines built across the campus, no dramatic reconstruction. And yet something fundamental had changed beneath ordinary life itself: the source of the energy powering classrooms, offices, electric fans, and lights.

With nearly the same level of electricity consumption as the previous year, DYCI has already reduced its electricity costs significantly through renewable energy procurement. In only a matter of months, the school has saved more than one hundred thousand pesos – money that can now be redirected toward students, facilities, and the ordinary needs that sustain an educational institution.

There is something quietly radical in this.

The dominant narrative around climate action has long framed it as sacrifice: consume less, pay more, expect hardship. Fossil fuel dependency, meanwhile, has been normalized as the practical and affordable choice, despite the immense social and environmental costs hidden beneath every coal plant and oil shipment. But moments like this reveal another reality. Renewable energy is not merely an ethical gesture toward the planet’s future. It is increasingly the smarter economic choice in the present.

How transitions really happen

Implemented as a mechanism under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, GEOP opened a door that many institutions are only beginning to realize exists. Since its implementation in 2021, it has allowed schools, businesses, and organizations to participate in the energy transition without the enormous upfront costs that traditionally defined renewable energy projects.

Additionally, DYCI’s commitment to explore alternative energy options like GEOP, ultimately led to the securing of contracts under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) framework. Alongside GEOP, RCOA serves as a complementary mechanism that enables qualified consumers to directly engage with competitive electricity suppliers, further supporting the transition to more sustainable and cost-efficient energy sources.

And perhaps this is how transitions really happen: not all at once, not everywhere simultaneously, but through accumulating acts of practical imagination. A school changes providers. A finance officer notices the savings. A conversation begins. Someone else realizes they can do the same.

If larger institutions, including government agencies, are willing to transition to renewable energy and make the process accessible and straightforward, it can significantly encourage broader public adoption. When the transition is supported by accessible, reliable, and well-established mechanisms that are enabling rather than punitive, individuals are more likely to follow and adopt the shift quickly

The future often arrives long before we recognize it has already begun.

The post The future of energy is here, and it’s saving schools money appeared first on 350.

According to a European Environment Agency survey of 27,000 people across 27 European countries, published before the war in the Middle East in February, over 38% of respondents said they could not afford to keep their homes adequately cool in summer.

As temperatures continue to soar around the world, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense. But they’re not only uncomfortable; they can also pose serious health risks. It’s important to stay cool and protect ourselves while also looking out for those who might be more vulnerable in our communities.

Here are some practical tips to help you cool down during a heatwave.

1. Shield Your Home from the Sun’s Rays: It might be counterintuitive to keep your windows closed during heatwaves but as soon as it starts to feel hotter outside than it is in your home – it’s best to close all your windows and close your curtains or blinds when the sun is directly on them to keep the heat out. You can also put tin foil with the shiny side facing outward in your window to reflect heat away.
2. Let the Heat Out! In the evening, if it’s cooler outside open all your windows and doors for as long as possible to let the cooler air flow through your home and remember to close them again in the morning before it gets hotter.
3. Stay Hydrated: Freeze water bottles overnight so you have ice-cold water to drink throughout the day. Make yourself an electrolyte-infused hydration drink by mixing 100ml of lemon juice, 2 tbsp lime juice, 500ml of water, 2 tbsp of honey, 1/8 tsp sea salt.
4. Make Your Own Air Conditioner: Freeze a big bottle of water overnight and put it in front of a fan (on top of a towel to catch any condensation). Sit in front of the bottle and enjoy the cool breeze.
5. Cool Your Skin: Take cold showers or baths (and then dry off in front of your homemade air conditioner!). Keep a spray bottle of water in the fridge so you can mist yourself through the day. You can cool off fast by soaking your feet in a bucket of cold water.

Find out more ways to stay cool from the World Health Organisation – including what to do if you or someone you are assisting is suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

How can you help others?

We are facing an unprecedented severity and frequency of heatwaves and the impacts aren’t felt equally. It is the people with underlying medical conditions, people in unstable housing, and some of the same folks who were hailed as ‘essential workers’ during the height of the pandemic who are the most at risk from the impacts of these heat waves. Make sure to check in on people in your community, particularly elderly and unhoused folks. Consider distributing cold water bottles to folks who might need them.

Share these tips with your friends and family.

What else can you do about the climate and affordability crisis? 

Heatwaves are evidence that we’re already paying for a crisis we didn’t create. Meanwhile, those that did create the crisis – oil and gas companies – continue to profit, backed by billions in public subsidies. Our governments must choose to make a great power shift that will bring down energy costs and tackle the climate crisis at the same time.

Sign the petition calling on all governments to ensure affordable renewable energy for all, to tax polluters permanently and to stop fossil fuel subsidies.

True renewable, democratic, and just energy systems are possible. Check out the 350.org Hope Hub, which showcases projects worldwide that do just that.

The post 5 ways to stay cool in a heatwave appeared first on 350.