The increasing proportion of renewable energy in the world’s overall energy supply indicates the growing popularity of renewable energy globally. From 2010 to 2021, this percentage rose from 3.2% to 5.2%, while modern bioenergy increased from 5.7% to 6.7%.

Pollution is an existential threat to modern society, one which endangers both human and planetary health. It includes contaminating the air with ozone, sulfur, nitrogen-containing nitrous oxides, and delicate particulate matter (PM2.5). Reduction of air pollution is a key aspect of Green Growth, which, together with attaining the goals of the Paris Agreement, could save around a million lives a year worldwide by 2050 (Rijsberman, 2019).

Water quality has become a global concern in the twenty-first century. Data from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 suggests that only 56% of the world’s domestic wastewater is treated. However, the majority of countries (especially developing nations) do not gather water quality data on a regular basis.

Lead contamination has been estimated to account for around 900,000 deaths per year worldwide (IHME, 2019). Typically developing countries suffer the most, where the use of lead in paint and other household products is often not fully regulated or controlled.

During the Russia-Ukraine the EU has become a clear example of how substantial reliance on a single country to satisfy energy needs can threaten nations’ economic development, and how challenging the task of achieving energy security is while substantially depending on a single country in key energy products.