What Figueres is arguing now

Christiana Figueres says the economics of clean power now lead policy, not the other way around. Speaking during Climate Week in New York, the former U.N. climate chief argued that wind, solar and batteries are cost-competitive or cheaper in many markets, reducing dependence on political alignment to drive adoption. Steep cost declines across solar modules, wind hardware and battery cells over the last decade have widened the gap with fossil fuels.

Signals for markets and policy

The thesis underlines a broader shift: even amid political pushback, capital is still flowing to low-carbon power, grids and electric transport. China’s manufacturing scale is accelerating deployment globally, while Europe, the Middle East and parts of the Americas keep adding renewables as AI-driven electricity demand rises. Figueres framed the moment as a “paradigm shift” that could smooth negotiations heading into COP30, while emphasizing the need for grids and storage to capture the gains.