New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- Given US President Donald Trump's scepticism of climate change, a slowdown in the world's green transition was widely feared. Those concerns are showing up in the numbers.

On Tuesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) slashed its forecast for global renewable power add-ons to 4,600 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 from 5,500GW. That's a cut of more than 16%. Why? Its projections for America and China have slumped.

In the US, federal tax incentives have been phased out early, while in China, Beijing has moved from fixed tariffs to competitive auctions, intensifying competition and making projects less attractive.

Unfortunately, with Trump openly dismissive of the climate crisis, we may see US policies turn even less favou...