Delegates from countries around the globe converged in Madrid this week for a climate change conference framed as an integral step toward meeting the targets of the 2015 Paris Agreement, a pact geared to keep the earth’s warming “well below” 2 degrees Celsius. That goal is now viewed as a long shot, albeit an essential one, by many scientists and policymakers.

Despite years of working on the fine details of worldwide climate commitments, carbon emissions continue to climb. A series of new reports released ahead of COP25 helped lay out the stakes in clear terms.