State of Climate Action 2025 – How Far the World Still Has to Go

A decade after more than 190 countries adopted the Paris Agreement, the world finds itself at a critical juncture. Governments, businesses, and civil society are now faced with a crucial question: Are global efforts sufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C?

The State of Climate Action 2025 report, released ahead of COP30, provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of how far the world has come—and how far it still needs to go. Serving as a detailed roadmap for global mitigation efforts, the report evaluates collective progress across major sectors responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions.

Published on 22 October 2025 by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund, Climate Analytics, the ClimateWorks Foundation, and the Systems Change Lab, the 137-page report functions as a global “report card” on climate action.

What the report measures

The analysis translates the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal into sector-specific targets for 2030, 2035, and 2050 across:

• Power
• Buildings
• Industry
• Transport
• Forests and land
• Food and agriculture

Together, these sectors accounted for 86% of global emissions in 2023. The remaining 14% came from waste and upstream energy activities, including fossil fuel extraction and petroleum refining.

While the decade since the Paris Agreement has seen momentum toward net-zero emissions, particularly in the energy sector, the report makes clear that global climate action remains far too slow and insufficient in scale.

Not one of the 45 indicators assessed is currently on track to meet a 1.5°C-aligned 2030 target.

The report also incorporates progress on technological carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and climate finance, both essential components for limiting warming. Although its focus remains on mitigation, the authors note that greater progress on several indicators would also help strengthen climate resilience.

Key findings from the State of Climate Action 2025 report

• Global efforts remain significantly off track. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, none of the 45 indicators assessed are on track for 2030.
  
• Progress exists, but not at the speed required.
  
  • The pace of change is heading in the right direction for six indicators.
  • Progress is well below the required levels for 29 indicators.
  • Trends are moving backwards for five indicators.
  • Insufficient data is available for five indicators.
    
• There are notable bright spots.
  
  • Private climate finance has grown substantially.
  • Solar energy continues to be the fastest-growing power source in history.
  • Emerging solutions, such as green hydrogen, saw meaningful one-year gains.
    
• Troubling setbacks are also emerging.
  
  • Electric vehicle sales, previously the one indicator on track, have slowed, pushing progress off course.
  • Coal phase-out and deforestation reductions remain deeply off track for yet another year.
  • Despite strong annual growth in renewables, expansion still falls short of what is needed for 2030 targets.
    
• A massive acceleration in action is required.
  
  • Unabated gas power must be phased out seven times faster.
  • Deforestation declines must accelerate ninefold.
  • Climate finance must grow four times faster.

With each year of delay, the scale of transformation required becomes even more daunting.

The path ahead

The State of Climate Action 2025 report sends a clear message: the world has made progress, but far too slowly to align with the Paris Agreement. The next five years will be decisive.

The window for keeping 1.5°C within reach is rapidly narrowing, and only a dramatic acceleration across every sector can prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

For governments, industries, financial institutions, and communities, the report offers a roadmap for urgent action and a stark reminder that the decisions made this decade will shape the planet’s future.