Emissions have already fallen by 34 million tonnes of CO2 β equivalent to permanently shutting down eight coal-fired power plants. The steel industry accounts for 7 percent of global emissions, and China produces more than half of the world's steel.
A study of 1,737 climate policies across 40 countries over 32 years shows which measures consistently reduce emissions regardless of context. Carbon taxes and investments in renewable energy and research stand out as particularly reliable instruments for reducing emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4 percent in 2025 and are now 54 percent below 1990 levels. Coal use halved and is at its lowest since 1600, while gas use dropped to the lowest level since 1992.
Countries representing 92 percent of the global economy have now decoupled consumption-based carbon emissions from GDP growth. China's emissions have plateaued over the past 18 months and may have peaked.
Data on greenhouse gas emissions shows a decline during the first months of last year compared to the same period the year before. Solar power and electric vehicles are growing rapidly in several major economies, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
New research shows that contrails from airplanes cause warming equivalent to two-thirds of the carbon dioxide emissions from jet fuel, not three times as much as previous studies indicated. Airlines are now conducting trials to avoid creating climate-affecting contrails.
China's carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or declining since March 2024. Solar power increased by 46% and wind power by 11% in the third quarter, covering nearly all the increase in electricity demand. Emissions from the transport sector fell by 5% due to the rapid spread of electric vehicles.
Renewable energy overtook coal in the global electricity mix for the first time in history during the first half of 2025.
European car manufacturers sold 38 percent more electric cars during the first seven months of the year.