Efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius are failing "overall" - and big changes will be needed to make meaningful changes, including a much faster transition away from coal for electricity, according to a new report. Tuesday's State of Climate Action 2023 paper paints a sobering picture of the challenges policymakers face as they prepare for the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at the end of November. Like most debates on climate action, the 2015 Paris Agreement – which aims to “limit global warming to well below 2, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels” – defies analysis. Tuesday's report takes that 1.5 degree goal and develops 2030 and 2050 targets that align with it. The overall findings are stark, with only one of the 42 indicators – sales of electric passenger cars – on track to meet its 2030 target. The UN has previously noted that 1.5 degrees Celsius is considered an "upper limit" when it comes to avoiding the worst effects of climate change. "Global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C are lackluster at best," Sophie Boehm, lead author of the report and research fellow at the World Resources Institute, said in a statement.