Sectoral factsheets for climate change

The world is warming faster than at any point in recorded history. This is radically changing the Earth’s climate and releasing a wave of extreme weather, including wildfires, hurricanes, floods and droughts. But humanity can still avoid the worst impacts of this climate crisis. To do that, the Earth’s temperature must be prevented from rising to more than 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

The only way to avoid catastrophic climate change is to rapidly slash our emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide. These emissions, which come largely from burning fossil fuels, have continued to rise in recent decades despite a raft of international accords, including the Paris Agreement. To keep the 1.5°C temperature target alive, the world needs to cut 2030 emissions by 42 per cent. This must be done in tandem with climate adaptation. National Adaptation Plans in particular, are crucial for ensuring climate resilience is built into each of the sectors. By 2025, every country must commit to new National Determined Contributions (NDCs), these NDCs must cover all emissions and sectors. Global ambition in the next round of NDCs must bring global greenhouse gas emissions in 2035 to levels consistent with the 1.5°C pathway. Explore these factsheets to learn how.