Browse publications

New Climate Action Tracker analysis finds that the goldrush for gas continues and is counterproductive to the Paris Agreement.

The world is going through a major energy crisis as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, the next few years are critical for climate action—a last chance to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach. So far, governments have largely failed to seize their chance to rearrange their energy supplies away from fossil fuels, the latest Climate Action Tracker briefing finds. Instead, we are witnessing a global “gold rush” for new fossil gas production, pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. This risks locking us into another high-carbon decade and keeping the...

Despite the clear warning on the extreme dangers of exceeding 1.5°C warming from the IPCC, progress on new, more ambitious 2030 climate targets and participation in sectoral initiatives have stalled since COP26 in Glasgow, the latest Climate Action Tracker briefing finds. This goes against the clear agreement of the Glasgow Pact to update national 2030 climate targets in 2022. Without increased government action, the world will still emit twice the greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 than is allowed under the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement. The world is heading to a warming of 2.4°C with 2030...

Why fossil fuels cannot sustainably meet the continent’s growing energy demand Natural gas is on the rise globally & in Africa Fossil fuel use is on the rise, with 70% of the increase in fossil CO2 emissions projected to come from natural gas by 2030 if current policies are not strengthened to align with the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C. To meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement: No new investments should be made into natural gas exploration and production. Unabated gas-fired power generation needs to be phased out by 2050 globally, and in many countries by 2040...

This report focuses on the policy landscape needed to enable a transition to net zero emissions, identifying key policies at a sectoral and national level to support investments towards decarbonisation in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.

Glasgow has a credibility gap between talk and action. In this briefing, the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) has calculated that if all governments met their 2030 targets, we would have 2.4˚C of warming in 2100. But right now, current policies put us at 2.7˚C. Summary In Paris, all governments solemnly promised to come to COP26 with more ambitious 2030 commitments to close the massive 2030 emissions gap that was already evident in 2015. Three years later the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C reinforced the scientific imperative, and earlier this year it called a climate “code red.” Now, at the...

In these briefings, the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) introduces its new rating methodology, which now rates more elements than before – mitigation targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), policies and action, and climate finance. We’ve also added a methodology for assessing net zero targets. These briefings provides an overview of the development in climate action over the last year and illustrates the new CAT assessment of the countries we analyse, based on our updated method. Summary Code red: The new IPCC report on climate science has reinforced the absolute urgency of closing...

This study published in the "Environmental Science & Policy" journal assesses if nine key non-G20 countries meet 2030 GHG targets with existing policies. Main Findings: This study compares greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions projections in 2030 under current policies and those under 2030 mitigation targets for nine key non-G20 countries, that collectively account for about 5 % of global total emissions today. These include the four largest non-G20 fossil CO2 emitting Parties to the UN climate convention pre-Paris Agreement (Iran, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Ukraine) and one of the largest land-use GHG...

This report presents an overview of recently adopted climate policies, climate-relevant responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and a state of play of NDC and LTS submissions in 25 countries and regions. The policy information compiled by NewClimate Institute, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an update of a previous report published in June 2019, and supplements the December 2019 report on the projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under currently implemented policies and mitigation commitments. Main Findings...

This paper examines the broad policy frameworks that can support the development and upscaling of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) without diverting attention from ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions and, in particular, whether CDR can be supported by offsetting schemes. Setting separate emission reduction and removal targets may be a way to achieve this. The paper was funded by the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G), which is an initiative of the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs. Context and approach: The special report on the 1.5°C temperature limit by...

Developed by NewClimate Institute, Germanwatch and CAN, the index ties in with the global Climate Change Performance Index by Germanwatch, a rating of the 58 largest emitters of GHG emissions globally that has been published annually since 2006. Description Recognizing the urgency to take immediate action in protecting the global climate, the 21st Conference of the Parties, held in December 2015 in Paris, made a groundbreaking achievement in adopting the goal to limit global warming to “well below” 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. Under the Paris Agreement, for the first...

The Brown to Green Report 2017 by Climate Transparency provides a comprehensive overview of the G20 countries, whether – and how well – they are doing on the journey to transition to a low-carbon economy. It assesses the main trends for the G20 in emissions, climate policy performance, finance, and decarbonisation. The report summarises and compares the findings presented in Climate Transparency’s country profiles for each G20 country (incl. the EU). Findings are based on publicly available data by renowned institutions. Highlights Decarbonisation The report’s G20 decarbonisation ratings...

The Allianz Climate and Energy Monitor ranks G20 member states on their current attractiveness as potential destinations for investments in low-carbon electricity infrastructure. It further considers their current and future investment needs in line with a trajectory compatible with the 2°C/1.5°C temperature limits of the Paris Agreement. Key findings: Renewable energy gusto in emerging markets… 2016 was a year of impressive solar PV installations in the G20. On average, G20 countries installed 50% more solar PV last year than in 2015. New installations for wind decreased by 24%, although from...