Clean Energy Is Outspending Fossil Fuels Nearly Two To One

InnovationSustainabilityClean Energy Is Outspending Fossil Fuels Nearly Two To OneByIngmar Rentzhog,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ingmar Rentzhog is the CEO and founder of We Don’t Have Time.for We Don’t Have TimeFollow AuthorJun 07, 2026, 01:40pm EDTFossil fuels still dominate the system we have. But increasingly, the world's capital is building the clean system of tomorrow.gettyFor every dollar the world invests in fossil fuels today, it invests nearly two in clean energy. Despite record political backlash, the money keeps moving in one direction, and it is not the direction the headlines suggest.According to the International Energy Agency's new World Energy Investment 2026 report, global energy investment is set to reach about $3.4 trillion this year. Roughly $2.2 trillion is expected to flow into clean energy, including renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, efficiency and electrification. About $1.2 trillion will go to oil, gas and coal.Clean energy now attracts about twice the investment of fossil fuels. Annual energy investment, 2015 to 2025.Wedonthavetime.orgThis is a historic shift. But it invites a fair objection that deserves a real answer.Fossil fuels do not compete on a level field. Governments around the world still spend enormous sums keeping fossil energy cheaper than it otherwise would be. These subsidies are usually defended as protection for households during periods of high prices. They also keep fossil fuels artificially competitive against cleaner alternatives. So the honest question is this. If we add fossil fuel subsidies to fossil fuel investment, does clean energy still lead?The answer is yes.MORE FOR YOUA deliberately tough testThe chart below takes the same IEA investment data and stacks fossil fuel consumption subsidies, measured with the IEA’s price-gap method, on top of fossil fuel investment. To keep it fair, it does the same on the clean side, adding the public support that...