Happy Birthday, Paris Agreement: The World Has Listened!

Ten years after the Paris Agreement was signed, new analysis shows the world has slammed the brakes on carbon emissions growth. Annual increases have slowed fivefold to just 0.32% a year, compared with 1.7% before 2015.

“Whilst we still need to go further and faster to get on track to limit heating, it is clear multilateral action on climate has helped to slam the brakes on global emissions growth since the Paris Agreement was signed,” said John Lang, Net Zero Tracker Lead at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

Since 2015, the global economy has grown by 28%, while total greenhouse gas emissions have risen by just 3%, cutting emissions intensity per dollar of GDP by 21%. China, responsible for over half of all new renewable capacity added last year, may already have reached its emissions peak. With 19 of the G20 still committed to net zero by mid-century, the next climate summit in Brazil aims to turn this slowed growth into real declines — bringing the 1.5°C goal closer within reach.