Despite growing investments in renewable energy, however, "the world isn't doing enough in time to turn around the catastrophic effects of climate change," Assadourian said in the October 15 issue of Renewable Energy Report.

Renewable energy markets continue to expand worldwide, particularly in Asia, but not quickly enough to counter damage to the planet from climate change, he said.

There are positive signs: Wind power investments, for example, topped $20 billion last year, Worldwatch recently reported, and that figure is expected to triple in 10 years. There are currently more than 50 countries using wind energy, with more than a dozen of those securing 1 GW or more of wind power. Yet while large companies are making investments, it's a small percentage of what they could be doing to address climate change, said Assadourian.

Is renewable energy a key to combatting the effects of climate change, or is it simply one among many policies that might help tackle the problem?

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