How Good Are Net-Zero Goals?

Around half of the world's countries producing around 80 percent of its greenhouse gas emission have pledged to reach carbon neutrality this century, many by 2050 or 2060. But how good is the quality of these nations' plans to tackle climate change, including aspects of transparency on how they want to go about achieving their goals?

According to website Climate Action Tracker, only 7 percent of the world's emissions are in countries with acceptable plans, including in the UK, Colombia, Chile and the European Union. 21 percent of emissions are currently under plans only rated as average. This includes emissions in major economies like Canada, the United States, Germany, South Korea and Nigeria. Almost 50 percent of emissions are under plans considered poor, including from major polluters China, India, Japan, Russia, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

For another 7 percent of emissions from countries with net-zero goals, the researchers identified insufficient data to rate the quality of provisions. This includes emissions from Morocco, which recently pledged to achieve net zero at the end of the century (or earlier) as well as Ethiopia (2050), Brazil (2050) and Indonesia (2060).

A global emission share of 5 percent was identified as not yet being subject to a net-zero target. This was the case in Mexico, Norway, Egypt, Iran and the Philippines.