The Paris Agreement has been instrumental in increasing climate action. The indicators presented in this Dashboard show that there has been considerable progress on global action climate action, with an expansion in both climate policies and mitigation commitments. However, more needs to be done. NDCs’ mitigation commitments fall below those need to meet Paris Agreement targets, and, with current policies, even these commitments may not be reached. GHG emission trends are increasing and the risks from mitigation hazards continues.
Climate Action Dashboard
The Climate Action Dashboard features key indicators to track progress towards climate objectives and provide a snapshot of country climate action. The Dashboard has four main building blocks starting with the status of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions. It describes their developments in activities or sectors, impacts on climate and the environment and the associated risks and vulnerabilities, the policies and actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and the derived socio-economic opportunities that contribute to a just transition.
Progress on climate action
Key Global Indicators
This set of indicators highlights key aspects of climate action across the world. They summarise some of the indicators displayed on the dashboard, showing both the current status and the trajectory towards net zero.
Net-Zero
As of March 2024, 110 countries have pledged a net-zero target, with 96 aiming to reach this target by 2050 or before. Most targets, however, are not legally binding. Net-zero targets cover about 85% of global GHG emissions, only 27 countries and the EU, representing 16% of global GHG emissions, have enshrined these into law.
GHG Emissions and targets
The IPCC estimates that a global GHG emissions reduction of 43% by 2030 (from 2019) is necessary to be on track to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature to 1.5°C by the end of this century. However, OECD countries have committed to an estimated emissions reduction of 28% and OECD partner countries to an emissions reduction of 5% compared to their 2020 emissions. OECD and OECD partner countries need to increase their emissions reduction targets by, at least, an additional 30% in aggregate to achieve the projected reductions estimated by the IPCC is necessary to reach the Paris Agreement goal and fill the “ambition gap”.
Annual Temperature Change
2023 was the hottest year on record, with unprecedented surface temperatures and extreme weather events. Heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes have raged across the globe, destroying lives and livelihoods. The population exposed to extreme temperatures is growing rapidly. An estimated half a billion more people are exposed to days with maximum temperatures exceeding 35°C.
Adopted climate mitigation policies
The growth rate of national climate actions adopted by both OECD and OECD partner countries only increased by 1% in 2022. By contrast, the average growth of adopted policies between 2000 and 2021 was 10%, as tracked by the IPAC Climate Actions and Policies Measurement Framework (CAPMF). Policy coverage and policy stringency are not necessarily indicative of policy effectiveness in reducing GHG emissions. However, the slowdown in 2022 may pose a risk, suggesting that countries’ may be facing an “implementation gap”.
