Net ZERO Policy

Net Zero: An international policy target 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report Global Warming of 1.5ºC provided evidence on the requirement that we meet a global net zero target by the middle of the century, providing a deadline for policy targets. And in 2015, a global target to reach net zero emissions was set with governments around the world taking up the policy goal by ratifying the Paris Agreement. 

Remarkably, a new report from the think tank ECIU shows that 49 percent of global GDP is already covered by cities, states, and provinces, and countries that either have net zero targets or are working toward them. This surge of net zero targets shows strong ambition but a gap remains between ambition and action, and often this is due to a gap in information about what a net zero aligned policy entails. On this site we offer resources for assessing whether policy initiatives are aligned with the global goal to reduce temperature outcomes and bring visibility to trends and challenges in current net zero policy. 

As a start for policy makers see the minimum criteria for net zero policy and how to join the UNFCCC Race to Zero.