“The world will lock itself into an insecure, inefficient and high-carbon energy system” without an “urgent and radical change of policy direction,” the International Energy Agency’s Executive Director said recently.

The agency has been beating the drum for significant changes to energy policy since the appointment of Maria Van der Hoeven earlier this year, and the tone of the group’s analysis, meant to reflect input from and guide policy for the world’s developed economies, has grown increasingly aggressive in recent months.

The agency has noted the political aspects of its work, and said in releasing a new book on renewable energy deployment policy on November 28 that “growth in renewable energy has so far focused on just a few of the available technologies, and rapid deployment is confined to a relatively small number of countries.”

“In more advanced markets, managing support costs and system integration of large shares of renewable energy in a time of economic weakness and budget austerity has sparked vigorous political debate.”

The IEA’s new book focuses on best practices for policy-makers, and builds on a 2008 study. It follows headline-making forecasts included in the World Energy Outlook released earlier in November, a number of which are included in the infographic above.

The agency’s latest work can help policy makers and other stakeholders “avoid past mistakes, overcome new challenges and reap the benefits of deploying renewables,” the group said.