COMPARISON OF ADOPTED NET ZERO TARGETS

As of July 2020, 19 countries and the European Union have adopted net-zero targets. The document compares these targets across several dimensions: the coverage of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and domestic sectors, the target year for achievement, whether separate emissions reduction targets exist, the use of international GHG mitigation, and the legal status of the targets.

• By July 2020, 19 countries and the European Union had adopted net-zero targets, while more than 100 other countries were considering them.
• Target years for achieving net-zero emissions vary significantly across the analyzed entities, ranging from 2030 in Norway to the second half of the 21st century in Japan and Singapore.
• The legal status of these targets differs, with some being enshrined in law (such as in Denmark, France, Hungary, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), while others remain as government pledges or in policy documents.
• Most analyzed targets cover all greenhouse gases and all domestic sectors, though New Zealand excludes biogenic methane from its GHG coverage.
• The use of international GHG mitigation is generally not included in the targets, with exceptions such as New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland, and the United Kingdom considering it as a contingency.

APA

World Resources Institute (2020). COMPARISON OF ADOPTED NET ZERO TARGETS. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/comparison-adopted-net-zero-targets_0.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. COMPARISON OF ADOPTED NET ZERO TARGETS. 2020. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/comparison-adopted-net-zero-targets_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=COMPARISON OF ADOPTED NET ZERO TARGETS |date=July 2020 |url=https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/comparison-adopted-net-zero-targets_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2020comparison, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{COMPARISON OF ADOPTED NET ZERO TARGETS}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/comparison-adopted-net-zero-targets_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }