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What are the world’s countries doing about climate
change?

What are the world’s

countries doing
about climate
change?

In December 2015, 195 states signed up to the

Paris Agreement. This is the most important
pact for international cooperation on
tackling climate change, and countries are
taking steps to deliver on it. The UK, Norway,
France and New Zealand are some of the
countries that have legally committed to
reach net zero emissions by 2050. But are
countries actually on track to achieve the
Paris Agreement targets?

This section explains how the Paris

Agreement works and why COP26 in Glasgow,
UK, is the time the nations of the world are
next expected to step up their ambition
levels. It also looks at the UK’s role in
tackling climate change, and explores why
there are benefits from taking a lead in
reducing emissions.

Expand all
W
How have the world’s
nations agreed to act on +
climate change?

In December 2015, 194 states and the

European Union signed up to the Paris
Agreement. This is the most important pact
for international cooperation to tackle
climate change[1]. By signing the Agreement,
the world’s nations have committed to limit
the increase in global warming to 'well below
2°C', with a goal to keep it to 1.5°C[2].
They also set an aim for global emissions to
peak as soon as possible, and then achieve a
balance between human emissions produced
and the removal of greenhouse gases from
the atmosphere in the second half on the
century; resulting in what is called ‘net zero
emissions’. Developed countries have also
committed to provide more financial support
for developing countries to act on climate
change.

By signing the Agreement, countries have

committed to submitting and delivering on
their own voluntary  pledges that set out
how they will lower their emissions and
adapt to climate change. These are known as
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The pledges are monitored through an
international mechanism that reviews
collective progress on the goals of the
Agreement. This is the ‘global stocktake’
which will first happen in 2023, and then
subsequently every five years. 

Countries are legally bound to submit their

pledges under the Paris Agreement.
Delivering the pledges, however, must be
ensured and enforced through national laws
and policies. By publicising the different
national pledges transparently, the
Agreement makes it possible to hold states
accountable if they fail to deliver on their
promises. The global stocktake mechanism
also puts pressure on countries to increase
their level of ambition over time, by regularly
reviewing progress on the shared global
goals.

This approach is part of the reason why

international relations experts have
suggested that the Paris Agreement was an
important new step for global climate
change action[3]. By relying on voluntary
promises and transparent review processes,
it sidesteps the thorny question of how to
reach an international agreement on legally
binding targets for lowering greenhouse gas
emissions. It is hoped that this approach
creates a more realistic path for
international climate change action[4].

References

[1] United Nations Treaty Collection (2015)

Paris Agreement. Paris, 12 December.
[2] Falkner, R. (2016). The Paris Agreement
and the new logic of international climate
politics, International Affairs, 92(5), 1107–1125.

[3] Falkner, R. (2016). The Paris Agreement

and the new logic of international climate
politics, International Affairs, 92(5), 1107–1125.

[4] Bodansky, D. (2016). The Paris Climate

Change Agreement: A New Hope? The
American Journal of International Law, 110(2),
288-319.

Are countries on track to

meet the 'well-below 2°C'
target in the Paris
+
Agreement?

The 2015 Paris Agreement committed each of

its 195 state signatories to pledge what they
will individually do to reduce or limit their
greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 or 2030;
their so-called Nationally Determined
Contributions (NDCs). Taken together,
however, the current NDCs of all nations are
not enough to put the world on track to limit
global warming to ‘well below 2°C’[1].
Instead, analysis published by Climate Action
Tracker estimates that the current NDC
pledges for 2030 are consistent with a global
emissions pathway that would lead to a
world that is 2.4°C warmer on average at the
end of the century, than it was at pre-
industrial levels[1]. This is far from being in
line with the Paris Agreement, which aims to
limit warming to well below 2°C and pursue
best efforts to keep it to 1.5°C.

The Paris Agreement explicitly requires each

country to revise its pledge and increase its
ambition every five years, effectively creating
what is called a ‘ratchet mechanism’.
Countries agreed at the Paris climate change
summit in 2015 to submit revised NDCs by
2021 at the latest, at the 26th session of the
Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in
Glasgow, UK, and was postponed from its
original date of 2020 due to COVID-19.

Countries were expected to pledge new and

more ambitious NDCs ahead of COP26,
bringing their actual plans for emissions
reductions by 2030 into line with the targets
of the Paris Agreement. However, as
explained above, countries’ pledges for 2030
still amount to 2.4°C warming. To close this
gap, COP26 ended with plans being made for
countries to return at COP27 and update
their NDC pledges again, rather than wait the
originally planned five years.

Steps in the right direction are also being

taken by countries that set targets for
reaching net-zero emissions of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases. Sweden and Norway were
some of the first countries to legally commit
to net-zero targets, and the UK was the first
of the G7 major economies to do so with a
commitment to reach net zero greenhouse
gas emissions by 2050, closely followed by
France. In 2020, China committed to reaching
carbon neutrality by 2060, while South Korea
and Japan committed to net zero emissions
by 2050. Chile and Fiji are also among the
countries to have proposed net zero targets,
which are pending legislation[2]. Net zero
targets have gained increased momentum,
and analysts suggest that from November
2021, 90% of global GDP was covered by net
zero pledges.[3]

Actually reaching these targets, however,

requires rolling out credible policies for
reducing emissions immediately. While the
UK has set a target for net-zero emissions by
2050, it is currently not set to meet its
emission reduction targets for the periods
2023-27 and 2028-2032 respectively. While
emissions in the UK power sector have
reduced significantly, policies across the rest
of the economy are not on track to lower
emissions as needed[4].

As of November 2021, current policies to tackle climate

change in place in countries around the world are
projected result in about 2.7°C warming by 2100,
compared to pre-industrial levels. Based on NDCs for
2030, warming will reach 2.4°C. When binding long-term
or net-zero targets are included, warming would be
limited to about 2.1°C above pre-industrial levels Source:
Climate Action Tracker (2021). 2100 Warming projections
November 2021 update. Copyright © 2021 by Climate
Analytics and NewClimate Institute. All rights reserved.
Available
at: https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures
[1] Climate Action Tracker (2021). Warming
Projections Global Update, November
2021. Climate Action Tracker (Climate
Analytics, NewClimate Institute).

[2] ECIU (2019). Net Zero Scorecard. Available

at : https://eciu.net/netzerotracker  [Last
accessed 3/11 2019]

[3] Net Zero Tracker. (2021). Countries

Database. Available
at: https://zerotracker.net/ [Last accessed
22/22 2021]

[4] Committee on Climate Change,

2019. Reducing UK Emissions: 2019 Progress
Report to Parliament. London, 2019.

Why should the UK take

stringent action on climate
change, when other
countries are larger
+
emitters and do less to
reduce their emissions?

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-

industrial temperatures means CO2
emissions need to reach net zero by 2050.
This will need to happen in every country, no
matter how small or large. The nature of
climate change means emissions have global
impacts, and so a global collaborative
response makes the challenge easier and
cheaper to overcome in the long-run[1].  

However, there are also likely to be direct

benefits from taking the lead in reducing
emissions. By taking early and decisive
action on climate change, the UK could gain
a competitive edge in providing zero-carbon
expertise, goods and services for other
countries as they ramp up their action on
climate change too. 

How major emitters are acting on climate

change

The world’s countries have all signed the

Paris Agreement, including major current and
future emitters of greenhouse gases such as
China and India. These countries are already
acting on climate change, and are
increasingly seeing that opportunities exist
for them and their citizens in building a zero-
carbon future and a growing, green economy.

In 2020, China committed to reaching carbon

neutrality by 2060, as well as reaching a peak
in its CO2 emissions before 2030, although
recent studies suggest they may achieve this
much earlier[2],[3]. The country reduced coal
mining capacity by 400 million tonnes since
2016, with aims to reduce it further by 2020[4],
[5]. Thanks to this reduction and to large
increases in renewable energy generation, as
well as measures to improve energy
efficiency, China’s consumption of coal and
associated emissions appears to be
plateauing. China is also leading the world in
electric vehicle (EV) production and sales,
with its auto sector making a positive impact
on other sectors by advancing innovation
and bringing down costs for EVs around the
world[6].

However, while these actions have

contributed to reducing the rate at which
Chinese emissions are growing, the actual
level of emissions are still increasing due to
investment in new coal-fired power stations
and the use of fossil fuels in industrial
sectors like steel and cement[7]. China’s
investments in fossil-fuel based
infrastructure in neighbouring countries
through the Belt and Road Initiative are also
likely to cause a lot of additional greenhouse
gas emissions[8].
India had set a target to install 175 gigawatts
of renewable energy generators by 2022 but
is now set to surpass this goal and extend it
to 480 gigawatts[9]. This success comes from
costs falling quickly and strong government
support for renewable energy. Implementing
renewables policy continues to be
challenging, however, due to differences in
regional governance structures and many
regions relying heavily on revenues from coal
markets[10].

In the United States, another major emitter,

emissions levels have started to decline
since 2005, although energy-related carbon
dioxide emissions rose between 2017 and
2018[11].  The decision by President Donald
Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement
took effect in November 2020 and
represented a setback for climate policy in
the United States[12]. However, the Biden
Administration returned the US to the Paris
Agreement in 2021.

Beyond climate action at the national level

in the United States, many states, businesses
and cities continue to take the threat
seriously. The ‘We Are Still In’ Coalition, for
example, brings together more than 3,500
major business leaders, governors, mayors
and institutional representatives that are
committed to the Paris Agreement[13].

The UK’s opportunity to lead on climate

change

As local action in the United States grows

and major national emitters like China and
India increase their actions towards tackling
climate change, the global market for zero-
carbon goods and services will also grow. By
taking early action to decrease its emissions,
the UK can get ahead in the zero-carbon
transition and increase its economic
competitiveness. This brings new investment
opportunities and positions the UK ideally to
compete and prosper in the market for zero-
carbon goods and services - one of the
world’s fastest growing markets. It also
brings associated benefits such as lowering
air pollution levels and people switching to
healthier, more plant-based diets, which in
turns lowers costs for the National Health
Service[14].

The UK has already been successful in

enabling economic growth alongside taking
climate change action. Since 1990, the UK’s
economy has grown by around 75% while
greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by
44%[15]. Analysis suggests that, so far, taking
action on climate change earlier than other
countries has not limited the UK’s economic
success[16]. By leading in markets for new,
less-polluting products, the country can
instead set an example of the way to a low-
carbon future.

Some analysts also suggest that the UK

should lower its emissions faster than other
countries because of its historic
responsibility for causing climate change. To
date, the UK is one of the largest per person
contributors to present climate change –
behind the United States, Canada and
Russia, and equal to Germany[17]. This is one
of the reasons why the UK’s Committee on
Climate Change recommended the UK should
be more ambitious on climate change than
the world as a whole and set a target for
achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 at the
latest[18].
 Economic growth and CO2 emissions have
increasingly diverged in the UK. Between
2000 and 2014, the UK achieved six years
where real GDP grew at the same time that
carbon dioxide emissions declined.
Source: World Resources Institute under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International (CC BY 4.0) license.

[1] IPCC. (2018): Summary for Policymakers.

In: Global warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special
Report on the impacts of global warming of
1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related
global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in
the context of strengthening the global
response to the threat of climate change,
sustainable development, and efforts to
eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V. et al
(eds)]. World Meteorological Organization,
Geneva, Switzerland, 32 pp
[2] Wang, H., Lu, X., Deng, Y. et al.
(2019). China’s CO2 peak before 2030 implied
from characteristics and growth of cities. Nat
Sustain 2, 748–754

[3] Gallagher, K.S., Zhang, F., Orvis, R. et

al. (2019). Assessing the Policy gaps for
achieving China’s climate targets in the Paris
Agreement. Nat Commun 10, 1256

[4] Reuters. (2017). China halfway to target to

reduce coal capacity by 800m tonnes. South
China Morning Post.

[5] BP. (2019). Statistical Review of World

Energy – all data, 1965-2018.

[6] Thornton, A. (2019). China is winning the

electric vehicle race. World Economic Forum.

[7] Myllyvirta, L. (2019). Guest post: Why

China’s CO2 emissions grew 4% during first
half of 2019. Carbon Brief. 

[8] Shearer, C. et al (2019). China at a

Crossroads: Continued Support for Coal
Power Erodes Country’s Clean Energy
Leadership. IEEFA: Sydney, Australia.
[9] Lakshman, S. (2019). PM Modi vows to
more than double India’s non-fossil fuel
target to 450 GW by 2022. The Hindu.

[10] Ramesh, M. (2018). The great States

barricade. The Hindu Business Line.

[11] EIA. (2019). U.S. Energy-Related Carbon

Dioxide Emissions, 2018. Washington DC: U.S.
Department of Energy.  

[12] Urpelainen, J., and Van de Graaf, T. (2018).

United States non-cooperation and the Paris
agreement, Climate Policy, 18(7), 839-851.

[13] https://www.wearestillin.com/

[14] Jennings, N. et al. (2019). Co-benefits of

climate change mitigation in the UK: What
issues are the UK public concerned about and
how can action on climate change help to
address them? Grantham Institute on Climate
Change and Environment, Imperial College
London. 

[15] Committee on Climate Change. (2019).

Reducing UK emissions: 2019 Progress Report
to Parliament. London, 2019.
[16] Duffy, C. and Bassi, S. (2016). UK climate
change policy: how does it affect
competitiveness? Grantham Research
Institute at London School of Economics.

[17] Committee on Climate Change (2019). Net

Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping
global warming. London, 2019.

[18] Committee on Climate Change. (2019).

Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping
global warming. London, 2019.

 
Read more about these topics by
exploring the explainers published by
our sister institute, the Grantham
Research Institute at LSE: 
 

What is
COP26?

COP26 is a key
moment for
climate action
in 2021. But
what exactly is
it?

What is the
Paris
Agreement?

The Paris
Agreement was
a landmark
document
produced at
COP21 in 2015.
Read more
here.

What
are
the
Sustainable
Development
Goals
(SDGs)?

The
SDGs
are a
universal
set of
goals,
targets,
and
indicators
that
focus
on
development.
Learn
more
here.

What
is
climate
finance?

Learn
more
about
the
diverse
concept
of
finance
for
climate
change-
related
activities.

What
is the
state
of
international
climate
talks?

Find
out
more
about
global
progress
on
achieving
the
 Paris
Agreement
goals.

[Image by DENNIS SCHROEDER / NREL is

licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

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