A net zero pledge is a commitment to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a level matched by removals from the atmosphere — through forests, soils, or engineered carbon dioxide removal — so that net contributions to warming approach zero. The concept is grounded in the IPCC's Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (2018), which concluded that limiting warming to 1.5°C requires global CO₂ emissions to reach net zero around mid-century.
Net zero pledges proliferated after the Paris Agreement (2015), whose Article 4 calls for a balance between anthropogenic emissions and removals in the second half of the century. By the time of COP26 in Glasgow (2021), states covering the large majority of global GDP had announced some form of net zero target. Notable examples include the European Union's climate-neutrality goal for 2050 (enshrined in the European Climate Law, 2021), the United Kingdom's legally binding 2050 target (2019 amendment to the Climate Change Act 2008), China's pledge of carbon neutrality "before 2060" announced by Xi Jinping at the UN General Assembly in September 2020, and India's 2070 target announced at COP26.
Pledges vary widely in credibility and coverage. Key differentiating features include:
- Legal status: enshrined in law, government policy, or political declaration only.
- Gas coverage: CO₂ only versus all GHGs (including methane, N₂O, F-gases).
- Scope: territorial emissions only versus inclusion of imported goods or international aviation and shipping.
- Use of offsets: heavy reliance on international carbon credits or unproven negative-emissions technologies weakens credibility.
- Interim milestones: presence of 2030 or 2035 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) consistent with the long-term target.
The UN High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities issued its Integrity Matters report in 2022, setting recommendations against "greenwashing" by corporations and subnational actors. Independent trackers such as the Climate Action Tracker and Net Zero Tracker assess whether pledges meet such integrity criteria.
Example
At COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would reach net zero emissions by 2070, joining over 130 countries with mid-century net zero pledges.
Frequently asked questions
Only when written into domestic legislation. The UK and EU have codified 2050 targets in law, while many other pledges remain political declarations enforceable mainly through reputational and electoral pressure.
Keep learning