Global Stocktake (GST)

The Global Stocktake (GST) is the central accountability mechanism of the Paris Agreement, established under Article 14. It requires Parties to "periodically take stock of the implementation" of the Agreement to assess collective progress toward its purpose and long-term goals — including holding warming well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C, adapting to climate impacts, and aligning finance flows with low-emissions, climate-resilient development.

The GST is conducted every five years, with the first one launched at COP26 in Glasgow (2021) and concluded at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023. It unfolds in three phases: information collection and preparation, technical assessment, and consideration of outputs at the political level.

The COP28 outcome decision is widely referred to as the "UAE Consensus." It was the first GST to explicitly call on Parties to contribute to global efforts including "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems," tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and accelerating efforts toward net-zero emission energy systems. It also acknowledged that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) put the world on a trajectory inconsistent with 1.5°C pathways.

Crucially, the GST is not a country-by-country review — it is collective in nature. However, its outputs are intended to "inform Parties in updating and enhancing" their NDCs and international cooperation on climate action. The next round of NDCs, due in 2025 ahead of 2035 targets, is expected to reflect GST findings.

Key inputs include the IPCC assessment reports, UNFCCC synthesis reports on NDCs and long-term low-emission development strategies, and submissions from Parties and non-Party stakeholders. The second GST is scheduled to conclude in 2028.