Category: Reports

State of Climate Action 2023: A Call for Urgent, Transformative Change

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The cover of the State of Climate Action 2023 report, featuring global climate targets and urgent action steps.
State of Climate Action 2023 cover

The State of Climate Action 2023 provides the world’s most comprehensive roadmap of how to close the gap in climate action across sectors to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This pivotal report aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C by accelerating efforts across various sectors, emphasizing the urgent need for immediate and scaled-up action.

Understanding the Global Stocktake

Central to the report’s timing is the final phase of the Global Stocktake, a crucial process under the Paris Agreement. The Global Stocktake is a systematic review conducted every five years to assess collective progress toward achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of climate change, and provide necessary support to developing countries. The outcomes of the Global Stocktake are pivotal in informing and enhancing international climate action, ensuring that the global response to climate change remains on track and is continuously improved upon.

Global Stocktake and the Roadmap Ahead

Published in anticipation of the Global Stocktake’s final phase, the State of Climate Action 2023 report provides actionable insights, translating the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature limit into tangible 2030 and 2050 targets. These targets encompass sectors responsible for approximately 85% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including power, buildings, industry, transport, forests, land, food, agriculture, technological carbon removal, and climate finance.

Assessment of Current Progress

A sobering reality check, the report reveals that the current pace of progress towards 1.5°C-aligned targets is alarmingly inadequate. Except for the sales of electric passenger cars, every other indicator is lagging significantly, underscoring the urgent need for acceleration in climate action.

Key Findings: A Mixed Bag of Progress and Setbacks

The analysis of 42 indicators shows a glaring shortfall in achieving the 2030 targets. More than half of these indicators are far off course, demanding at least a twofold increase in efforts this decade. Particularly concerning are areas such as public financing for fossil fuels, deforestation, and carbon pricing systems, which have regressed significantly.

State of Climate Action 2023 visual overview

Bright Spots Amidst Challenges

Despite the grim findings, there are glimmers of hope. The exponential growth in electric vehicle sales over the past five years marks a significant stride towards the 2030 target. Similarly, promising developments in mandatory corporate climate risk disclosure, sales of electric trucks, and the share of EVs in passenger car fleets offer optimism.

The Urgent Need for Accelerated Action

To align with the 2030 targets, drastic escalations are required across all sectors. This includes:

  • Increase growth in solar and wind power. The share of these two technologies in electricity generation needs to reach 24 percent, from an annual average of 14 percent, to get on track for 2030.
     
  • A sevenfold acceleration in phasing out coal in electricity generation. This is equivalent to retiring roughly 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants each year through 2030. However, the continued build-out of coal-fired power will increase the number of plants that need to be shuttered in the coming years.  
     
  • A sixfold expansion in rapid transit infrastructure coverage. This is equivalent to constructing public transit systems roughly three times the size of New York City’s network of subway rails, bus lanes, and light-rail tracks each year throughout this decade.
     
  • The annual rate of deforestation — equivalent to deforesting 15 football (soccer) fields per minute in 2022 — needs to be reduced fourfold over this decade.
     
  • An eightfold increase in the shift to healthier, more sustainable diets. This involves lowering per capita consumption of meat from cows, goats, and sheep to approximately two servings per week or less across high-consuming regions (the Americas, Europe, and Oceania) by 2030.   

Conclusion: An Urgent Call for Transformative Change

The State of Climate Action 2023 Action 2023 serves as a stark reminder of the immense work ahead. With only a single indicator on track for its 2030 target, the report underscores the need for immediate, transformative changes in every sector. This decisive moment calls for governments, corporations, and individuals to embrace systemic changes, ensuring a sustainable future for our planet.

Latin America and the Caribbean: Pioneers in the Global Energy Transition

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Latin America Energy Outlook 2023 report cover
Latin America Energy Outlook 2023

The latest IEA report, Latin America Energy Outlook, shines a spotlight on Latin America and the Caribbean, underscoring their pivotal role in the global energy landscape amidst rising geopolitical uncertainties and rapid energy transitions. This region, rich in energy and mineral resources and a leader in clean energy, is poised to significantly influence both regional and global energy sectors.

A Resource-Rich Region with a Clean Energy Legacy

The Latin America Energy Outlook, IEA’s first comprehensive analysis covering all 33 countries in the region, reveals a treasure trove of resources. From renewables like hydropower, wind, and solar to oil, gas, and vital minerals, the region is well-equipped to contribute to global energy security and clean transitions. This report is a culmination of extensive collaboration with regional governments, experts, and stakeholders, building on IEA’s long-standing engagement with the area.

Renewables account for 60% of the region’s electricity production, double the global average, with hydropower leading the charge. Countries like Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina are also home to some of the best wind and solar resources globally. Furthermore, the region is a significant bioenergy player and a leading biofuel exporter.

A Potential Global Energy Powerhouse

Latin America and the Caribbean hold about 15% of the world’s oil and natural gas resources. The region is also crucial for producing minerals essential for clean energy technologies, boasting about half of the world’s lithium reserves and significant proportions of copper and silver. This clean electricity supply is the backbone for sustainable mining and processing of these materials.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol highlights the region’s potential in the new global energy economy, emphasizing the need for supportive policies and international cooperation to fully harness this potential.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

Despite the promise, the report identifies a policy implementation gap. While 16 of the 33 countries have committed to net-zero emissions by mid-century, current policies still heavily rely on fossil fuels, especially for road transport. However, if pledges are realized, renewables could meet all new energy demands this decade, increasing oil exports and driving low-cost, low-emissions hydrogen production. This shift would also double long-term revenues from critical minerals to nearly USD 200 billion.

Key Actions and Investments for a Sustainable Future

To reduce energy-related CO2 emissions, the report suggests four key actions: ramping up renewable energy, electrifying industry and transport, advancing energy efficiency, and improving access to clean cooking solutions. Investment in clean energy projects needs to double by 2030 to USD 150 billion and rise fivefold by 2050.

Towards a Greener Future

The region, already engaged in the Global Methane Pledge and the Glasgow Pledge to halt deforestation, is on a promising path. The IEA is committed to supporting these transitions, as Latin America and the Caribbean stride towards a secure and fairer global energy system.

The Rising Challenge of Space Debris: ESA’s 2023 Space Environment Report Highlights the Need for Sustainable Practices

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LEO - Low Earth Orbit - Credit: NASA ODPO.
LEO stands for low-Earth orbit and is the region of space within 2,000 km of the Earth’s surface. It is the most concentrated area for orbital debris. Credit: NASA ODPO.

Navigating the Crowded Cosmos

As the Earth’s orbital space becomes increasingly populated with satellites crucial for scientific research, communication, and navigation, the burgeoning issue of space debris poses a threat to our sustainable future in space. The ESA’s 2023 Space Environment Report casts a sobering light on the crowded and hazardous orbits, underlining the urgency for effective space debris mitigation measures.

The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee’s guidelines set forth in 2002, aimed at reducing space debris, have become the foundation for space policy. However, with a record-breaking 2,409 new satellites launched in 2022, these guidelines are being outpaced by the sheer volume of space traffic. Many satellites remain in their operational orbits post-mission, creating potential debris clouds that could linger for years. With the rise of commercial satellite constellations in low-Earth orbits, the risk of collisions has grown exponentially, necessitating more frequent collision avoidance maneuvers.

Despite improvements in adopting debris mitigation measures, the ESA report suggests that current efforts are insufficient given the rate of satellite launches and existing debris. Over half of the 30,000 tracked debris pieces are cluttering low-Earth orbit, which doesn’t account for the countless smaller, untracked objects. The report warns that if we continue on this path, the dream of a sustainable space environment could slip through our fingers.

A Silver Lining

Nevertheless, there is a silver lining. A record number of satellites and fragments reentered Earth’s atmosphere in 2022, showing that adherence to guidelines — like vacating protected orbits within 25 years of end-of-life — is improving. Moreover, more than 80% of constellation satellites are now designed to deorbit within two years post-mission. Yet, most of these reentries are uncontrolled, posing risks of debris landing unpredictably on Earth.

ESA’s proactive steps include the novel “assisted reentry” technique, successfully demonstrated with the Aeolus satellite, and pioneering the ClearSpace-1 mission for active debris removal. These initiatives are part of ESA’s Zero Debris goal for 2030, aiming to leave no new space debris in critical orbits. By setting a precedent with the ClearSpace-1 mission, ESA aspires to catalyze a new commercial sector focused on debris removal and promote sustainable space operations industry-wide.

Time to Act

The 2023 report from ESA serves as a call to action for the global space community. The space around our planet is a finite, invaluable resource that demands our immediate attention and stewardship to prevent the dire predictions of Kessler Syndrome from becoming a reality.

…. fragments from future collisions will be generated faster than atmospheric drag will remove them.”

The Kessler Syndrome, as discussed by Donald J. Kessler, March 8, 2009

With continued focus and innovation in space sustainability, we can ensure that the benefits of space advancements are not overshadowed by the growing cloud of orbital debris. It’s time to act and safeguard our space environment for future generations.