Climate Action Tracker Global Update: Governments still showing little sign of stepping up

A briefing by the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) providing a global temperature update as of December 2019, highlighting a significant gap between current government pledges and the Paris Agreement goals, while detailing trends in coal, natural gas, and renewable energy.

• Current global pledges are projected to lead to a temperature increase of 2.8°C by the end of the century, while real-world government actions are estimated to result in a 3°C rise. An optimistic scenario including planned additional actions still limits warming to 2.8°C. Although estimates decreased by 0.1-0.2°C since September 2019, this is attributed to data and methodological updates rather than increased climate action.
• As of December 2019, few governments have strengthened their Paris Agreement pledges; only the Marshall Islands submitted an updated NDC, and Chile published a draft. The CAT notes that governments are failing to enhance climate action plans by 2020 as agreed in Paris.
• Coal capacity increased by a net 63 GW between 2015 and 2019, with China, Japan, and South Korea funding offshore coal and building new plants. However, the coal pipeline decreased by nearly 75% during the same period. A specific example of expansion is the proposed Chinese-funded and built Lamu coal-fired power station in Kenya.
• Global natural gas demand grew by 5% from 2017 to 2018, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the increase in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. To align with the Paris Agreement without CCS, natural gas in power generation must peak before 2030 and be halved by 2040 relative to 2010 levels.
• Renewable capacity reached almost 2,400 GW worldwide in 2018. Capacity is projected to increase by approximately 1,200 GW (50%) over the next five years, with solar PV and onshore wind accounting for 60% and 25% of additional installations, respectively. Offshore wind capacity is expected to triple.
• The CAT has added four countries to its detailed mitigation assessments: Kenya (rated 2°C compatible), Germany (Highly Insufficient), United Kingdom (Insufficient), and Viet Nam (Critically Insufficient).

APA

NewClimate Institute (2019). Climate Action Tracker Global Update: Governments still showing little sign of stepping up. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-global-update-governments-still-showing-little-sign

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. Climate Action Tracker Global Update: Governments still showing little sign of stepping up. 2019. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-global-update-governments-still-showing-little-sign.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=Climate Action Tracker Global Update: Governments still showing little sign of stepping up |date=10 December 2019 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-global-update-governments-still-showing-little-sign |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2019climate, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{Climate Action Tracker Global Update: Governments still showing little sign of stepping up}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-global-update-governments-still-showing-little-sign}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }