Methodology

Speed & Scale is a platform and global action plan to zero out the world’s 74 gigatons of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It is organized around Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), a goal-setting protocol based on transparent measurement. We use the best available data to measure what matters.

OKR Framework

The OKR framework is a proven goal-setting protocol.  Objectives define what we aim to achieve. Key Results (KRs) are quantitative targets that tell us how we’ll achieve our Objectives. Well-framed Objectives are significant, action-oriented, durable, and inspirational. Effective key results are specific, timebound, ambitious, measurable, and verifiable. OKRs focus on the handful of the most important action steps to arrive at a given result. They also enable us to track our progress as we go, and to course-correct as needed. 

In crafting key results for the 2026 Speed & Scale Tracker, we relied on over 100 policy experts, entrepreneurs, scientists, and other world-class climate leaders.

Seventy-Four Gigatons

Seventy-four gigatons – 74 billion tons – of anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere each year. For emissions data for our updated tracker, Speed & Scale has shifted from the  UNEP Emissions Gap Report to Climate TRACE. Our new data source uses satellites, remote-sensing techniques, and artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver a granular and independent view of point-source emissions. TRACE’s bottom-up approach captures widely undercounted emissions, including activities from individual fossil fuel operations. 

Sector	2025 Emissions (gigatons CO2e)
Electrify Transportation	9.1
Decarbonize the Grid	29.9
Fix Food	8.4
Protect Nature	13.0
Clean Up Industry	13.3
Total	73.6

Sectoral Mapping

Climate TRACE breaks out emissions into ten sectors: transportation, power, fossil fuel operations, buildings, agriculture, waste, forestry and land use, manufacturing, mineral extraction, and fluorinated gases.  We map their ten sectors onto our first five Objectives: Electrify Transportation; Decarbonize the Grid; Fix Food; Protect Nature; and Clean Up Industry.  

Our plan contains six “solution” Objectives to achieve our top-line goal: to solve the climate crisis by cutting global emissions to net zero by 2050. The sixth solution Objective, carbon removal, addresses the ~14 gigatons of residual CO2e that will remain even after the first five are achieved–hence the term net zero. 

The plan also features four “accelerant” Objectives that will drive our solutions to the finish line: Win Politics & Policy; Turn Movements Into Action; Innovate!; and Invest!. These accelerants do not directly correspond to a specific gigaton total.

To reconcile TRACE’s emissions categories with our own, we’ve made a number of adjustments to the TRACE data, as outlined in the table below:

Tracking Approach

We track the world’s progress toward our OKR targets with datasets from more than 20 organizations, including BloombergNEF, Climate Action Tracker, ClimateWorks, CDR.fyi, Global Energy Monitor, the International Energy Agency (IEA), Mission Possible Partnership, Protected Planet, and the World Bank.

Collection Guidelines 

Datasets are selected by the following criteria:

• Global reach: We indicate where datasets are unavailable or incomplete.
• Consistency: We prioritize datasets that are reported regularly and consistently.
• Accuracy: We rely on data from credible and trusted sources.
• Accessibility: Wherever possible, we use publicly and commercially available sources. 
• Timeliness: The tracker reflects the most current and complete annual data available.

Challenges

Datasets are reported at various intervals, from annual and biannual to quarterly and monthly. When data is reported more than once a year, we aggregate multiple observations to generate annualized values, using simple or weighted averages where appropriate. We use linear, logistic, and exponential projection models to inform our assessment.

Modeling Assumptions

• Key Assumptions:
  • In calculating net-zero-aligned gigaton reductions for 2035 and 2050, we project emissions growth between 2025 and 2050.
  • Certain Climate TRACE categories—net forest land, net shrubgrass, net wetland, nature removals—are naturally occurring and therefore excluded from Speed & Scale emissions totals, which are limited to anthropogenic emissions. 
  • Emissions reductions from CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) are reflected in the industry sector (e.g., net-zero cement and steel), rather than in carbon removal. Our Machines Key Result focuses exclusively on engineered removals from the atmosphere.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Electrify Transportation
    • Other transport relates mainly to natural gas pipeline and processing emissions. They are allocated to our Key Results for Decarbonize the Grid.
    • Given the relatively small amount of railway emissions, Speed & Scale has grouped them in our Ships KR.
  • Decarbonize the Grid
    • Solar and Wind, Storage, and 24/7 Carbon-Free (KRs 2.1-2.3) all target the same bucket of emissions. We calculate gigaton reductions for each of these KRs based on their potential contributions to a zero-emissions grid.
  • Nature
    • Because they have large observed annual variations, deforestation and wildfire emissions are calculated by using a 10-year average.
    • Only 75 percent of fire emissions are assumed to be anthropogenic and subject to abatement.

Color Ratings

To assess performance on our key results with greater clarity, Speed & Scale uses a five-tiered, color-coded rating system.

Achieved

Target has been reached

On Track

Rate of change on track to reach interim target (or end target if no interim target available) within ~5%

Insufficient Progress

Positive rate of change, but missing the interim target (or end target if no interim target available)

Failing

Negative progress or no meaningful year-over-year change to target, less than 3 gigatons of impact

Code Red

Negative progress or no meaningful year-over-year change to target, at least 3 gigatons of impact

We invite anyone with access to high-quality data to help us improve our tracking of the world’s progress toward net zero. You can reach us at act@speedandscale.com.