‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement

Wind turbines in China, where clean energy is responsible for 10% of the country’s GDP, though its greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

Ten years on from the historic Paris climate summit, which ended with the world’s first and only global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions, it is easy to dwell on its failures. But the successes go less remarked.

Renewable energy smashed records last year, growing by 15% and accounting for more than 90% of all new power generation capacity. Investment in clean energy topped $2tn, outstripping that into fossil fuels by two to one.