The UN SDGs Report 2026: Energy and Climate Pressure Mount The United Nations (UN) has published its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report 2026, underscoring that the world is now just four years away from the 2030 deadline. The report shows that progress is increasingly tied to resilient energy systems, procurement, manufacturing capacity, supply chain stability and digital infrastructure. While advances continue across several goals, only 36% of the 139 measurable targets are on track or making moderate progress, 49% are moving “too slowly” and 15% have worsened since 2015. The UN attributes these setbacks to climate change, slower economic growth, higher debt, conflict and weakening development assistance. The energy transition and industrial resilience Energy remains central to sustainable industrial growth and the report presents both progress and exposure. Since 2015, electricity access has risen to 92% of the global population, while around one-third of global electricity is now generated from renewable sources. Internet access has also climbed from 40% to 74%, opening up more scope for connected manufacturing, digital procurement and efficiency gains across industrial operations. Yet the energy picture is far from stable. The report says conflict, trade disruption and climate-related stress are feeding through to prices, logistics and production, with energy availability increasingly linked to wider economic resilience. In 2024, 673 million people experienced chronic hunger and 2.3 billion faced moderate or severe food insecurity. - Global temperatures reached 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels in 2025, bringing the world closer to the 1.5°C threshold The report states that the war in the Middle East has “disrupted maritime traffic, choking off energy, fertiliser and food corridors and driving up inflation.” Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have affected shipments of fertilisers, sulphur, natural gas and fuels, increasing production and transport costs across global manufacturing and food supply chains, particularly for