Solar power has gone from niche and expensive to the fastest-growing source of new energy on Earth, dropping in cost by more than 99% in just a few decades and surpassing one terawatt of installed utility‑scale capacity worldwide. In this episode of Climate Emergency Forum, host Herb Simmens is joined by Dr. Peter Carter and climate system scientist Paul Beckwith to explore how far solar has come, why it is now central to stabilizing the climate, and why there is still “a hell of a way to go.” The discussion sets solar within the wider planetary emergency and the race to stay as close as possible to 1.5°C.
This video was recorded on December 10th, 2025, and published on December 21st, 2025, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.
The panel examines breakthroughs such as utility‑scale solar doubling roughly every three years since 2016, innovative applications from offshore solar platforms to “balcony solar,” and the emergence of the first commercial white solar panels that both generate power and reflect heat. They highlight the staggering pace of deployment in China, which installed more solar in six months of 2025 than the United States has in its entire history, and unpack why STEM‑driven policymaking has enabled that rapid scale‑up. At the same time, they address political headwinds, including actions by the Trump administration and other governments to slow renewables and preserve fossil fuel interests.
Finally, Herb, Peter, and Paul connect solar to the larger transformation described in the UN’s GEO7 “Transform or Collapse” report, emphasizing the need to phase out fossil fuels, end subsidies, and redesign economies that currently reward environmental destruction. They note that solar still supplies only about 2% of global primary energy and roughly 7% of electricity, underscoring how quickly deployment must accelerate in this decisive decade. The episode closes with concrete examples of what viewers can do in their own lives—from rooftop and community solar to simply using less energy—and invites you to support Climate Emergency Forum’s work through subscribing, sharing, and visiting climateemergencyforum.org.
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Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute
Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University
Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.
Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader
Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.
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