Climate action tracker shows where we are on net zero targets

Each has short lists of the most critical steps to take, both at an individual level and within companies, cities, states, and government. Transport, for example, covers aviation goals, phasing out combustion engines, and launching ‘zero-ready’ maritime ships, among others.

What is particularly cool, is that these easily digestible tidbits have colour indicators from red through to green accompanying them to show whether they’re on course to match policy requirements or not.

A few results are moving in a positive direction, like the sale of electric vehicles. Meanwhile, deforestation and beef are denoted as two ‘code red’ issues.

Looking at the big picture, experts worryingly state that fulfilling our current ecological policies will still see 2.8C of warming by the end of the century.

The co-creator of the tool, Ryan Panchadsaram, who previously worked on the Obama administration, revealed that it was specifically designed to aid business and political leaders in their bids to enact meaningful change. It’s all mapped out in a painstakingly straightforward way.

For those who simply want to cut through the waffle of politicians (like yours truly) it is particularly helpful too.

‘The idea was to help people see where the biggest sources of emissions can come from, and the measures that they’re really tasked with to move,’ he says.

‘The tracker is designed to encourage targeted actions. We like to say it’s about going for the gigaton. It’s about also leaning on collective might, not always just the individual piece.’

At its core, this website is there to galvanise people. At this late avenue, with vital deadlines approaching in the next decade, existential dread about the state of the climate will get us nowhere.

Hopefully, we can turn a few more of these lights green in the years following COP27.