The energy business caught the global energy war. The first stage, in the early 2010s, was characterised by indifference. The second phase, in the past few years, has involved setting idealistic emissions-cutting targets far in the future that cost little today. In 2022 the third stage of the journey will get under way, amid dangerously volatile energy prices, fears of greenflation and rising geopolitical risks. It will require realism about the task ahead.

In 2021 the world was awash in easy promises. Some 70 countries, accounting for two-thirds of global carbon emissions, had net-zero targets, to be met by mid-century. A majority of people in the rich world, including America, expressed concern about climate change. Companies were making ambitious carbon-neutral pledges, too—especially those that didn’t emit much in the first place. A boom in green-tech venture capital suggested that funds were being reallocated at scale. And sustainable investing became one of the biggest trends in finance since subprime debt. https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2021/11/08/energy-investment-needs-to-increase-so-bills-and-taxes-must-rise