Global Climate Efforts Falling Dangerously Short of Paris Agreement Targets, Analysis Reveals

Climate Progress Off-Track Across All Major Indicators

A comprehensive new assessment of global climate efforts reveals that progress toward meeting the Paris Agreement goals is alarmingly insufficient across all measured sectors. The State of Climate Action 2025 report, produced through collaboration between leading research institutions including the World Resources Institute and Climate Analytics, indicates that none of the 45 key indicators of climate action are currently on track to achieve their 2030 targets.

Climate Progress Off-Track Across All Major Indicators
Mixed Progress Across Different Sectors
Glimmers of Hope Amidst the Challenges
The Persistent Challenge of Coal Dependence
Urgent Need for Accelerated Action

Mixed Progress Across Different Sectors

The analysis categorizes climate action into three distinct groups based on their current trajectory. Only six indicators show promising but insufficient progress, while a concerning 29 indicators are moving well below the required pace. Most alarming are the five indicators moving in the completely wrong direction, requiring immediate course correction. The remaining five lack sufficient data for proper assessment.

Electric vehicle adoption, previously the sole bright spot in climate progress, has been downgraded from “on track” to “off track.” While EV sales reached a record 22% of global passenger car sales in 2024—a significant increase from 4.4% in 2020—growth has slowed in key markets including Europe and the United States, highlighting the challenges of maintaining momentum in the transition to clean transportation.

Glimmers of Hope Amidst the Challenges

The report does identify several areas of encouraging development. Private climate finance has been upgraded from “well off track” to “off track” after surging from approximately $870 billion in 2022 to a record $1.3 trillion in 2023. This growth has been driven primarily by individuals, businesses, and investors in China and Western Europe, demonstrating the crucial role of private sector engagement in climate solutions.

Renewable energy continues to show remarkable progress, with solar and wind power’s share of global electricity generation more than tripling since 2015. Solar power, in particular, has established itself as the fastest-growing energy source in history. The report also notes that emerging technologies like green hydrogen and carbon dioxide removal, which were merely conceptual or in small-scale testing a decade ago, are approaching potential mainstream breakthroughs with appropriate support and investment.

The Persistent Challenge of Coal Dependence

Despite progress in some areas, coal remains a major obstacle to climate goals. Research Associate Clea Schumer from WRI emphasized that while coal’s share of global electricity generation decreased slightly in 2024, total coal consumption reached a record high due to growing electricity demand worldwide. “The trouble here is that a power system that relies on fossil fuels has huge, knock-on effects,” Schumer stated during the report’s presentation. “Decarbonizing buildings, industry, and transport all depend on a decarbonized power grid.”

The report underscores that current rates of coal phase-out are insufficient by a factor of ten, equivalent to needing to close nearly 360 average-sized coal plants annually while canceling all planned projects. This highlights the critical gap between current actions and what’s necessary to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius., as earlier coverage

Urgent Need for Accelerated Action

Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change at the Bezos Earth Fund, emphasized the urgency of the situation: “While there has been much progress over the last 10 years, it is still not nearly fast enough for what’s needed for 2030 and beyond.” Levin noted that climate change continues to advance as greenhouse gas emissions rise, temperatures increase, and fires devastate communities and ecosystems worldwide.

The fundamental question, according to Levin, is no longer whether change can happen but whether we can implement it rapidly enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The comprehensive assessment serves as both a warning and a call to action for governments, businesses, and civil society to dramatically accelerate climate efforts across all sectors.

For those seeking detailed methodology and complete findings, the full report is available through Systems Change Lab’s comprehensive analysis.