METHODOLOGY UPDATES
Our team strives to continually update data, improve functions and add new capabilities to the platform. We have made the following updates to our technical note, the Methodology Underpinning the Systems Change Lab Platform:
- To align with the Methodology Underpinning the State of Climate Action Series: 2025 Update, we made the following updates:
- Revised the description of our approach to environmental safeguards, including limiting reliance on carbon capture and storage and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. These edits reflect more recent literature and understanding.
- Clarified our approach to handling indicators with limited or missing data when drawing linear trendlines.
- Explained our revised approach of displaying the current trend arrow for 3 years for S-curve likely indicators (instead of 5 years).
- Acknowledged the growing number of indicators that include 2035 or 2040 targets in addition to 2030 and 2050 targets.
- Updated the descriptions of IEA projections of non-linear change to reflect more recent data.
- Made other minor language adjustments and updated citations.
- Adjusted language and figures to better differentiate between outcome indicators and the targets for those outcome indicators. Previously the indicators themselves were called targets, or the order of discussing outcome indicators and targets was reversed, which many found confusing. We’ve clarified throughout.
- Added references to newly launched systems — most recently the governance system.
DATA UPDATES
To align with the latest findings of the State of Climate Action 2025 and the updated technical note, several indicators have been updated:
Power
- Coal in electricity generation - added 2 additional years of historical data, country-level data, 2035 and 2040 targets.
- Unabated fossil gas in electricity generation - added 2 additional years of historical data, country-level data, and a 2035 target.
- Zero-carbon sources in electricity generation - added 2 additional years of historical data, disaggregated and country-level data, and replaced the 2040 target with a 2035 target. The status has changed from off track to well off track.
Industry
- Electrification of industrial energy demand - added 2 additional years of historical data, country-level data, and a new 2035 target.
- Carbon intensity of cement - added 2 additional years of historical data.
- Carbon intensity of steel - added disaggregated data.
- Announced low-carbon cement projects - revised historical data and added disaggregated data.
- Announced low-carbon steel projects - revised historical data and added disaggregated data.
- Green hydrogen production - added 2 additional years of historical data and updated targets.
- Electrolyzer capacity - added 2 additional years of historical data and updated targets.
Transport
- Kilometers traveled by passenger cars - added 2 additional years of historical data, updated the 2030 target, and added 2035, 2040 and 2050 targets.
- Rapid transit coverage - added 2 additional years of historical data.
- Electric vehicles in light-duty vehicle sales - added 2 additional years of historical data, disaggregated and country-level data, updated the 2035 target, and added 2040 and 2050 targets. The status has changed from on track to off track.
- Electric vehicles in the light-duty vehicle fleet - added 2 additional years of historical data, disaggregated and country-level data, updated the 2030 and 2050 targets, and added 2035 and 2040 targets.
- Electric vehicles in medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle sales - added 2 additional years of historical data, disaggregated and country-level data, updated the 2030 and 2050 targets, and added a 2035 target.
- Electric vehicles in bus sales - added 2 additional years of historical data, disaggregated and country-level data, updated the 2030 target, and added a 2035 target. The status has changed from the wrong direction to well off track.
- Zero-emission fuels in marine shipping - added several years of historical data and updated targets.
- Sustainable aviation fuels - added 2 additional years of historical data, updated the 2030 target, and added 2035 and 2040 targets.
- Public charging stations - added 2 additional years of historical data.
Food & Agriculture
- Crop yields - updated 2030 and 2050 targets due to changes in the FAOSTAT historical baseline from which the target was originally set, added a 2035 target.
- Ruminant meat productivity - updated targets due to changes in the FAOSTAT historical baseline from which the target was originally set.
- Enteric fermentation emissions intensity - updated target calculations.
- Rice cultivation emissions intensity - updated target calculations.
- Fertilizer emissions intensity - updated target and indicator calculations. The status has changed from the well off track to off track.
- Manure emissions intensity - updated target calculations.
Technological Carbon Removal
- Technological carbon removal - updated historical data, added disaggregated data and a 2040 target.
Circular Economy
- Recycled materials in material input - added 2 additional years of historical data.
Buildings
- Carbon intensity of cement - added historical data for 2023.
- Carbon intensity of steel - added historical data for 2023 and disaggregated data.
- Energy intensity of buildings - added a 2035 target.
- Retrofitting rate of buildings - updated historical data and added a 2035 target.
- New buildings that are zero-carbon - added a 2040 target.
- Carbon intensity of building operations - added a 2035 target.
Cities
- Rapid transit coverage - added 2 additional years of historical data.
Finance
- Public climate finance - updated 2030 and 2050 targets, added a 2035 target.
- Private climate finance - updated 2030 and 2050 targets, added a 2035 target.
- Public fossil fuel finance - added disaggregated data, 2035 and 2040 targets.
Economics
- Public fossil fuel finance - added 2035 and 2040 targets.
- Price of carbon - updated historical data calculations, 2030 and 2050 targets. Added a 2035 target.
- Public climate finance - updated 2030 and 2050 targets, added a 2035 target.
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