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.
Net zero at a global scale requires that all emissions of greenhouse gases should be balanced by their removal from the atmosphere.
Policies by sector
Find out more about how key policies are driving progress to net zero in each sector.
Net Zero APPG
Read the Net Zero APPG’s 10pt Net Zero Action Plan.
National policies
Find out how national politics can accelerate the transition to net zero.
Local policies
Find out what policies enacted on the local level have the most impact towards net zero goals.
News and Events
Findings from Scope 3 workshops hosted by Oxford Net Zero and Grantham Institute at Imperial College London published
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is the largest validator of corporate net-zero targets, representing nearly 40% of the global economy by market capitalisation, through assessment against its Corporate Net Zero Standard. In April ... Read more
Job openings: three new post-doc roles researching net zero aviation (now closed)
The School of Geography and the Environment and the Department of Earth Sciences are recruiting three Post-doctoral Research Associates (PDRAs) to form a cohort of researchers working on net zero aviation. The roles are: Post-Doctoral ... Read more
Oxford Net Zero report assesses the voluntary standards landscape
Oxford Net Zero’s Engagement Team have released a new report today, comprehensively assessing guidance for net zero across 37 different guidance documents, disclosure instruments and assessment frameworks. The team developed more than sixty ... Read more
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