World needs four times more investment in clean fuel to meet climate goals: WEF

Meeting the global “energy trilemma” of security, affordability and sustainability will require a sharp acceleration in investment in clean fuels, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

“The world is progressing on the energy trilemma, but what is really new now is the emphasis on energy security,” said Roberto Bocca, Head of Energy and Materials at the WEF.

Ahead of the WEF’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Roberto Bocca, Head of Energy and Materials at the World Economic Forum, who is scheduled to speak later in the day, said global ambitions on clean fuels will require annual investment in production to nearly quadruple—from about $25 billion currently to close to $100 billion a year by 2030. The estimate, outlined in a WEF white paper on clean fuels, highlights the scale of capital needed to advance the global energy transition. “We will not completely phase out fuels—we will still need molecules, and clean fuels are the bridge to that future,” Bocca said.

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The findings come ahead of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, commonly known as Davos 2026, scheduled to be held from January 19 to 23 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Energy security, affordability and decarbonisation are expected to be key themes at the gathering, amid rising geopolitical tensions and uneven progress on climate commitments. “Energy security today is very different from 10 years ago—now it’s about renewables, critical materials, grids and cybersecurity, not just fossil fuel supply,” Bocca noted.

The WEF has said this year’s meeting will see record government participation, with around 400 political leaders expected to attend alongside nearly 850 chief executives from leading global companies. The political delegation includes 65 heads of state and government, as well as six leaders from the G7 group of advanced economies. “This diversity creates an opportunity for more countries—including India—to move from being only demand centres to becoming suppliers,” Bocca said.

Davos 2026 is taking place against a complex global backdrop marked by geopolitical friction, rapid technological change and economic uncertainty. Global markets will also be closely tracking developments in the United States during the forum, including the US Supreme Court’s hearing on the Trump-era tariffs, which is scheduled around the same time as the US President’s presence in Davos. “Electrification is at the core of the energy transition, and that makes the price of electricity more important than the price of oil,” Bocca added.

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First Published: 

Jan 18, 2026 12:10 PM

IST