To limit warming to below 1.5 degrees C, halt biodiversity loss and secure a more just, equitable society, we need to transform 15 global systems. Systems Change Lab identifies more than 70 critical changes – what we call shifts – that can help deliver systemwide transformations. These shifts are changes within a system, and when multiple shifts work together, they can spur transformational change.

No single technology, policy or actor alone can achieve these critical shifts. Rather, it will take a community of people working together across systems to employ innovative solutions and accelerate change. To provide a global snapshot of efforts made toward each shift, we measure progress toward 2030 and 2050 targets pulled from the best available science, as well as monitor factors that can impede or enable change.

Explore these shifts in the pages below.

Power 

  • Phase out coal and unabated fossil gas electricity generation 
  • Rapidly scale up zero-carbon electricity generation 
  • Modernize power grids, scale energy storage and manage power demand 
  • Ensure energy access and a just and equitable transition for all 

Industry

  • Reduce demand for cement, steel and plastics 
  • Improve industrial energy efficiency 
  • Electrify industry 
  • Commercialize new solutions for cement, steel and plastics 
  • Reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations as they are phased down 

Transport

  • Guarantee reliable access to safe and modern mobility 
  • Reduce avoidable vehicle and air travel 
  • Shift to public, shared and non-motorized transport 
  • Transition to zero-carbon cars and trucks 
  • Transition to zero-carbon shipping and aviation 

Cities

  • Plan urban land use to reduce emissions and increase climate resilience
  • Increase access to resilient and affordable urban services
  • Transition to zero-waste cities

Buildings

  • Design and construct zero carbon buildings
  • Optimize building energy use
  • Decarbonize heating, cooling and appliances

Technological Carbon Removal

  • Scale up technological carbon removal 

Food and Agriculture

  • Increase crop, livestock, and aquaculture productivity sustainably, resiliently, and without expanding into high-carbon, biodiverse ecosystems
  • Reduce food loss and waste
  • Shift to healthier, more sustainable diets for all

Forests and Land Management

  • Protect ecosystems on land​
  • Restore deforested and degraded lands​
  • Effectively and sustainably manage land​
  • Sharply reduce pollution 
  • Halt the overexploitation of wild species on land and ensure that use is sustainable​
  • Dramatically slow the spread of invasive, alien species on land​

Ocean Management

  • Protect marine and coastal ecosystems
  • Restore degraded marine and coastal ecosystems
  • Sustainably manage marine and coastal ecosystems
  • Sharply reduce pollution from all sources
  • Halt the overexploitation of estuarine, coastal, and marine species and ensure that use is sustainable​
  • Dramatically slow the spread of invasive, alien species in marine ecosystems​

Freshwater Management

  • Protect freshwater ecosystems​
  • Restore degraded freshwater ecosystems
  • Sustainably manage freshwater ecosystems​
  • Improve water quality​
  • Halt the overexploitation of wild freshwater species and ensure that use is sustainable​
  • Dramatically slow the spread of invasive, alien freshwater species​
  • Ensure reliable access to clean water for all​

Circular Economy

  • Decrease overconsumption
  • Use recycled, reused, and renewable materials and components
  • Minimize environmental and social harms in resource extraction
  • Make production more resource efficient
  • Use products longer
  • Increase the quantity and value of resources recovered at end of use

Finance

  • Scale up public investment for climate and nature 
  • Scale up private investment for climate and nature 
  • Eliminate harmful subsidies and investments 
  • Extend economic and financial inclusion to underserved and marginalized groups 
  • Ensure that the financial system accounts for climate- and nature-related risks 
  • Price greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental harms 

New Economics for Climate and Nature

  • Mainstream wellbeing, equity, and sustainability goals into development plans
  • Scale new economic narratives
  • Test appropriateness of new economic models and tools for addressing complex global challenges in policymaking

Social Inclusion and Equity

  • Provide reliable, universal access to basic services and opportunities
  • Reduce social and political inequities
  • Facilitate a just transition to a net-zero, nature-positive future
  • Re-distribute income and wealth to ensure that they are not concentrated in the hands of the very few

Governance

  • Secure and uphold civil liberties and rights
  • Ensure transparency and access to information
  • Guarantee access to justice
  • Promote accountability and anti-corruption measures
  • Increase participation in policymaking and politics
  • Strengthen government capacity to plan and regulate fairly and effectively

     

Photo by Thoracius Appotite