Understanding countries’ net-zero emissions targets
This paper analyses net-zero emissions targets adopted in law, proposed in legislation,
or reflected in policy documents in 51 countries and the EU to better understand their
characteristics, similarities and differences. It examines countries’ experiences
with translating net-zero targets into near-term plans and analyses four case studies
to show how countries develop and implement different pathways to net-zero. This paper
also explores the potential role and associated risks, both for individual countries
and globally, of using international carbon markets to help achieve countries’ net-zero
targets. The paper concludes that countries are adopting diverse approaches to their
net-zero targets and many details are currently unclear, including the balance between
emission reductions, removals and the use of international carbon markets in reaching
countries’ net-zero targets, and how this may change over the next few decades. The
paper concludes that greater clarity on the scope, coverage and detail, in particular
how countries plan to meet their net-zero commitments, is important to improve understanding
of countries’ net-zero targets, how they interact with each other, and their overall
implications for achieving the global temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.
Published on October 27, 2021
In series:OECD/IEA Climate Change Expert Group Papersview more titles