How is the world doing on tackling climate change?

Scientists, politicians and world leaders are meeting at the annual UN climate summit, COP29, in Azerbaijan during what is set to be the hottest year on record.

What progress have countries already made to tackle change?

Renewable sources of energy like wind and solar are growing very quickly and prices have fallen considerably over the past decade.

Last year, countries promised to triple the capacity of so-called 'renewables' by 2030.

The idea is that these clean sources should start to displace dirty fossil fuels in the electric power grid, therefore reducing CO2 emissions even as electricity demand grows.

Currently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global renewable capacity to grow 2.7 times by 2030 compared with its 2022 level - so not quite on track for a trebling, but close.

The hope is that economics, as much as climate policy, can help renewables to grow even faster.

“In many cases and for many countries, renewable energy is already the cheapest and the economically sane option for producing energy,” said Prof Joeri Rogelj of Imperial College London.

China alone is expected to account for more than half of the growth in global renewable capacity to 2030, according to the IEA. But renewables are also set to rise quickly in the EU, US and India, as well as the UK.

Batteries and other forms of energy storage are key to the expansion of renewables: while a fossil fuel-driven power station can be fired up at any time of the day, the wind doesn't always blow and the Sun doesn't always shine.

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) is growing quickly, led by China, but rates of uptake vary considerably between countries.

They are the main way to reduce planet-warming emissions from road transport, according to the UN.

That is because they can be powered by clean electricity, rather than directly from fossil fuels.

The cost of EVs differs widely between nations.

In China, the IEA estimates that more than 60% of electric cars sold in 2023 were already cheaper than their petrol or diesel equivalent, partly thanks to government subsidies to the industry, encouraging more people to make the switch.

In other regions, electric cars have typically been more expensive, but are generally getting cheaper.

In the UK, for example, the recent growth in EV sales is partly thanks to obligatory government targets, explained Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

"As prices are driven down, more families are able to access the savings that come from electric driving," he said.

The UN says that the 1.5C target is still “technically possible”, but only with huge cuts to emissions over the next decade.

The recent US election has also posed challenges for uniting the world around new climate targets. Incoming president Donald Trump has pledged to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement and “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas.

This is “a major blow to global climate action," according to Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief.

"But it cannot and will not halt the changes under way to decarbonise the economy and meet the goals of the Paris agreement.”