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The report examines the proliferation of over 100 sustainability standards and initiatives (SSIs) in the minerals and metals sector, noting that their number has doubled in 20 years. While SSIs can complement regulation, their fragmentation creates confusion. The authors propose 15 hallmarks to evaluate SSI credibility and call for prioritized independent impact assessments and improved interoperability.

As of September 2025, 1,935 entities have net-zero targets, though the overall credibility of these commitments remains low, with only a small fraction of companies, regions, and cities meeting robustness criteria.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2025 finds that while the number of net zero targets continues to rise across companies, cities, and regions, the integrity of these commitments remains low. As of September 2025, 1,935 entities have targets, including 137 national governments and 63% of the Forbes Global 2000. However, only a small fraction of companies, regions, and cities meet all minimum integrity requirements. The report also highlights a gap in planning, with nearly one-third of Forbes Global 2000 companies lacking a clear roadmap, and expresses concern over the lack of dedicated targets for nature-based carbon removals.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2025 finds that while net zero target-setting continues to rise among companies and subnational governments, national-level coverage has dipped due to the US formally abandoning its target. Target integrity remains low, with only a small fraction of entities meeting minimum procedural and substantive requirements. The report also highlights a concerning corporate reliance on nature-based removals and offsets, which often lack transparency and durability.

The report assesses the progress of 40 adaptation interventions across various sectors in Ethiopia, finding that nearly 67% of the 64 associated indicators lack current data for tracking. While the health sector shows strong implementation and monitoring, the water, energy, and urban sectors suffer from significant data gaps and institutional capacity constraints. The analysis highlights a critical lack of gender-sensitive indicators, with only six of 64 being gender-sensitive, and recommends expanding the NDC's scope to include the financial, labour affairs, industry, and education sectors to address heat stress and financial exclusion.

The report assesses the AU-EU climate partnership, noting it is under strain due to unmet commitments and limited finance. It calls for the EU to double adaptation finance by COP30, contribute its 'fair share' to the New Quantified Collective Goal, and establish a new adaptation finance target to replace the COP26 pledge.

The report finds that while many global banks have committed to net-zero by 2050, their disclosures lack standardisation and transparency. Key issues include inconsistent sectoral coverage, the omission of facilitated emissions, and a failure to align sectoral targets with 1.5°C benchmarks. The report highlights that a significant portion of bank balance sheets remains uncovered by net-zero targets and that current levels of sustainable finance are insufficient to meet the 10-to-1 clean energy to fossil fuel investment ratio recommended by the IEA.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2024 reveals a consolidation of net zero targets across countries, cities, and companies, but highlights a critical gap in integrity. While national targets now cover 87% of global GHG emissions, fewer than 5% of non-state entities meet all minimum procedural and substantive integrity criteria. The report emphasizes that national targets often act as a 'ceiling' for subnational ambition, though some regions in countries like Australia and Japan have historically pushed national goals forward. It also notes that members of the Race to Zero campaign generally outperform non-members on integrity measures, although absolute performance remains low.

This report provides a preliminary stocktake of G20 members' strategies and practices regarding the bioeconomy to support the Brazilian G20 Presidency's Global Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB) in 2024. It identifies common thematic axes, suggests high-level principles for a sustainable bioeconomy, and proposes five key themes for a future program of work to foster international cooperation and learning.

The document assesses the current state of bioeconomy strategies across G20 nations, identifying three primary thematic axes: biotechnology (R&D&I), bioresources (sustainable use of biodiversity), and bio-ecology (sustainable development). It highlights the significant economic potential of the sector, citing estimates that its value could reach US$30 trillion by 2050. The report emphasizes the necessity of integrating indigenous and local knowledge, ensuring social equity, and aligning bioeconomy growth with biodiversity conservation and climate action. It further examines policy enablers such as Green Public Procurement and carbon pricing, and discusses financing mechanisms including nature markets and sustainability-linked bonds. The report concludes by proposing five key themes for the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy's program of work: integration into growth plans, livelihoods and equity, enabling finance, facilitating biotrade, and measurement methodologies.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2023 finds that while the number of entities with net zero targets has grown to 1,475, a significant portion of sub-national governments and large companies still lack any emission reduction targets. While national targets are increasingly underpinned by legislation, there is limited improvement in the robustness of corporate and sub-national strategies, particularly regarding Scope 3 emissions and the use of offsets. Notably, no major fossil fuel producers have committed to phasing out fossil fuels despite having net zero pledges.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2023 reveals that while net zero targets now cover 92% of global GDP and 88% of global GHG emissions at the national level, the momentum for new national and subnational targets has slowed. In contrast, corporate target-setting continues to grow, with 929 Forbes Global 2000 companies now having targets. However, the report highlights a critical 'integrity gap': fewer than 5% of subnational and corporate targets meet the minimum 'starting line' criteria of the Race to Zero campaign. National targets have seen a significant shift toward formalization, with the share of targets enshrined in law or policy documents rising from less than 10% in December 2020 to 75% in 2023. The analysis also finds that no major fossil fuel producing countries or companies have committed to a full phase-out of fossil fuel extraction or production, and there is a growing but potentially problematic reliance on carbon dioxide removals (CDR) to meet targets.

The report provides a fifth-year stocktake of the WTO Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on Electronic Commerce, noting a trend toward a less ambitious agreement focused on e-commerce facilitation. It highlights a fragmented national policy environment, the rise of flexible regional Digital Economy Agreements to address trends like artificial intelligence, and a multilateral focus on bridging the digital divide following COVID-19.

The brief examines the WTO JSI on e-commerce, noting a shift toward a less ambitious agreement focusing on 'lower-hanging fruit' like e-commerce facilitation. It highlights the rise of Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) and increased national regulatory activity, while noting that the JSI's December 2022 consolidated text reflects a dilution of policy coverage and the removal of a dedicated market access section.

The report provides a comprehensive stocktake of the WTO's Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce at the end of 2022. It highlights a shift toward a less ambitious 'light' agreement focusing on minor facilitation points, while more contentious issues like market access and data flows remain unresolved. The document notes the rise of flexible Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) and an increased focus on the digital divide within the broader WTO work programme. By December 2022, 87 WTO members participated in the JSI, though participation from African countries and Least Developed Countries remains marginal. The report details the progress of various technical small groups, noting that 10 articles have reached a 'cleaned' or 'convergent' state, while others, such as source code and cryptography, face persistent divergences.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2022 finds that while net zero target setting has expanded significantly—particularly among national governments and large companies—there is an 'alarming lack of credibility' across the landscape. Fewer than one-fifth of national and sub-national targets meet minimum procedural robustness standards, and 65% of corporate targets similarly fail these standards. The report highlights a widespread lack of transparency regarding the use of external offset credits and a deficiency in covering Scope 3 emissions among companies.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2022 finds that while net zero target setting is becoming nearly universal at the national level and increasing among corporations and cities, a significant lack of credibility and robustness persists. Fewer than one-fifth of national and sub-national targets meet minimum procedural standards, and 65% of corporate targets fail these same standards. The report highlights a widespread lack of transparency regarding the use of external offset credits and a deficiency in Scope 3 emissions coverage among companies.

The report finds that while countries are making incremental progress in strengthening their NDCs, the current pace and scale of ambition are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goals. By September 2022, 139 new or updated NDCs had been communicated, aiming for a 2030 emissions reduction of 5.5 GtCO2e more than initial commitments, which represents a 7 percent reduction from 2019 levels—far below the 43 percent reduction required for the 1.5°C target. The analysis highlights that 77 percent of NDCs include GHG reduction targets, 86 percent include adaptation components, and 53 percent estimate finance requirements totaling nearly $4.3 trillion.

The 'G20: Net Zero Stocktake' is the inaugural analysis by the Net Zero Tracker consortium, examining net zero commitments across various G20 entities. As of 27 October 2021, the analysis notes that including the European Union's collective target increases net zero coverage to 81% for emissions, 82% for GDP, and 61% for population.