We’re not on track for net zero by 2050. How do we get there?

Despite over 10,000 organizations pledging net zero goals, fewer than 7% have strategies capable of achieving them. The author argues that the current landscape of private voluntary initiatives is fragmented, leading to inconsistency and greenwashing. To address this, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is converting its Net Zero Guidelines—launched at COP27—into a formal net zero standard for organizations (ISO 14060). This standard aims to harmonize measurement, reporting, and verification across sectors and countries, potentially informing government policy and reducing technical barriers to trade via the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.

• There is a significant disparity between climate ambition and action, with over 10,000 organizations making net zero commitments, yet fewer than 7% possessing strategies that would actually achieve those goals.
• The current reliance on fragmented private voluntary initiatives—including the Science Based Targets initiative, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and International Sustainability Standards Board disclosure standards—has created a confusing environment that encourages greenwashing and increases compliance costs.
• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is developing the ISO net zero standard for organizations (ISO 14060), evolving from Net Zero Guidelines launched at COP27 that were created by over 1,200 experts from more than 100 countries.
• The ISO net zero standard is intended to transform governance by clarifying best practices, harmonizing measurement and verification across countries, and providing a basis for government regulations in accordance with the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.

APA

Nebra, N. G. (2025). We’re not on track for net zero by 2050. How do we get there? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/not-on-track-for-net-zero-2050-how-we-get-there/

Chicago

Nebra, Noelia Garcia. We’re not on track for net zero by 2050. How do we get there? World Economic Forum, 2025. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/not-on-track-for-net-zero-2050-how-we-get-there/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Nebra |first1=Noelia Garcia |title=We’re not on track for net zero by 2050. How do we get there? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=18 November 2025 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/not-on-track-for-net-zero-2050-how-we-get-there/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{nebra2025were, author = {Nebra, Noelia Garcia}, title = {{We’re not on track for net zero by 2050. How do we get there?}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/not-on-track-for-net-zero-2050-how-we-get-there/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }