Ten years after the Paris Climate Agreement, the world is still falling short of its promise to limit global warming to 1.5°C, as global temperatures rise faster than climate action can match.
Since 2015, the planet has warmed by 0.46°C, with this year on track to be among the three hottest on record, according to Copernicus data. Scientists say the world is now headed toward 2.8°C of warming, well above the danger threshold set in Paris.
Extreme weather has intensified — from record heat waves to massive wildfires and floods — while ice melt and sea level rise accelerate. More than 7 trillion tons of ice have vanished from Greenland and Antarctica, and seas have risen 40 millimeters in the past decade.
Yet there have been milestones. Renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in most regions, representing nearly three-quarters of global electricity growth in 2024. Electric vehicle sales have skyrocketed from half a million in 2015 to 17 million last year.
Still, emissions remain stubbornly high. Carbon dioxide levels rose 5.8% and methane 5.2% since 2015, with China’s emissions up 15.5% and India’s 26.7%, offsetting reductions in the U.S. and Europe.
As world leaders gather in Belem, Brazil, for COP30, many acknowledge the gap between promises and progress. “We’re moving in the right direction,” said former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, “but not at the speed we need.”
