State of Climate Action 2021
COP26 has inspired the production of a report from World Resources Institute entitled “State of Climate Action 2021” which says that to keep the window open to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C, transformations must occur across every sector at far faster pace than recent trends.
The report, authored by the UN High-Level Climate Champions, Climate Action Tracker, ClimateWorks Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund and World Resources Institute, says that
combatting the climate crisis requires us to rapidly transform the systems that propel our economy, including power generation, buildings, industry, transport, land use, and agriculture—as well as the immediate scale-up of technological carbon removal. But by how much? And how can decision-makers unlock the transformational change that is required?
The State of Climate Action 2021, published under the Systems Change Lab, answers these fundamental questions. The report identifies 40 indicators across key sectors that must transform to address the climate crisis, and assesses how current trends will impact how much work remains to be done by 2030 and 2050 to deliver a zero-carbon world in time. It also outlines the required shifts in supportive policies, innovations, strong institutions, leadership, and social norms to unlock change.