Global Stocktake

The Global Stocktake (GST) is a process established under the Paris Agreement Paris AgreementAn agreement reached at COP21 in Paris in 2015 with a set of targets, most notably keeping global heating at 1.5…Read on اقرأ المزيد to track progress of global adaptation AdaptationPrecautionary and timely measures taken to address existing or potential impacts of the climate disasterRead on اقرأ المزيد and mitigation MitigationThe efforts to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Mitigation measures include reducing emissions on the demand side through energy-efficiency…Read on اقرأ المزيد efforts.

Background

Article 14 of the Paris Agreement stipulates that the purpose of the GST is to assess the “collective progress” with regards to “mitigation, adaptation and the means of implementation and support”.  Under this article, the first GST  would take place at COP28 Conference of the Parties (COP)COP refers to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is normally…Read on اقرأ المزيد (held in Dubai in December 2023) and every five years thereafter.

The GST followed a two-year process organized in three phases:

1. Information collection and preparation:

Gathering and analyzing the necessary information, including voluntary submission from Parties and IPCC's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to…Read on اقرأ المزيد  Assessment Reports Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC) summarizing the available science on climate change. Three working…Read on اقرأ المزيد .

2. Technical assessment:

Evaluating progress and producing synthesis reports

3. Consideration of output:

Examining the implications of the technical assessment, informing parties of findings and encouraging them to step up climate action.

Since the Paris Agreement, progress in addressing the climate crisis has been insufficient. The first global stocktake promises to be the most comprehensive assessment of climate action to date, synthesizing over 1600 documents from various sources, and helping to chart the way forward. However, its outputs may be undermined by the fact that it is completely non-binding and therefore cannot ensure accountability.