Capture the change in renewable energies

The time to talk about net zero goals is running out, and the time to put them into action is well underway.

At the US climate summit in April 2021, US President Biden put pressure on countries to either accelerate their CO2 neutrality commitments or to commit themselves in the first place.

It is a continuation of the Paris Agreement, which obliges signatories to achieve carbon neutral emissions in the second half of the 21st century. But 2050–2100 is a long window of time, and climate change is becoming more and more present and worse.

So when do countries commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions, and how serious is their promise? This infographic from the National Council for Public Utilities highlights the world’s carbon neutral commitments.

The schedule for carbon neutral targets by country

The first question is how quickly countries are trying to reach net zero.

137 countries have committed themselves to CO2 neutrality, as indicated by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and confirmed by commitments to the Carbon Neutrality Coalition and recent political statements from governments.

But the sooner the commitment the better, and most commitments focus on 2050.

As for the early achievers, Bhutan and Surinam are the only two countries that have achieved carbon neutrality and actually are Carbon negative (Removing more carbon than they emit). UruguayThe 2030 target is the earliest attempting to achieve this feat, followed by European countries Finland, Austria, Iceland, Germany and Sweden, all of which are aiming for 2045 or earlier.

Over 90% or 124 of the 137 countries listed above have set themselves the goal of achieving CO2 neutrality by 2050. This is mainly due to membership in the Coalition for CO2 Neutralitywhich calls on Member States to meet their target by 2050 but leaves the commitment to them.

Only five countries have net-zero commitments after 2050, including Australia and Singaporewho have not yet set a fixed goal. Alignment to 2060, in addition to Ukraine and Kazakhstan, is the world’s largest emitter, China. The country’s recent pledge is significant as China is estimated to be responsible for an estimated 25% of global emissions.

Indeed, according to the Climate protection tracker, 73% of global emissions are currently covered by net zero targets.

How seriously do the countries commit themselves to CO2 neutrality?

Setting a goal is perhaps the easiest step towards being carbon neutral. But the real challenge is to cement that goal and make progress. For this reason, it is important to consider how strong each country’s commitment to carbon neutrality really is.

The strictest obligations are enshrined in law, followed by official government policy, which, however, can change with governments. Likewise, legislative proposals show some forward momentum in the implementation of commitments, but it can take a long time for proposals to be implemented (or derailed).

As it turns out, the vast majority of carbon neutral targets are just discussed with no formal action being taken to implement them.

Uruguay’s 2030 target may be the earliest, but it’s not yet set in stone. The earliest statutory obligation is Swedenthe 2045 target.

Only six countries, including Sweden, have implemented their carbon neutral targets. they include Denmark, France, Hungary, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Another five countries have legislation in the works, including Canada and South Korea, as well as the entirety of the EU.

In the meantime, 24 countries have set their climate targets as official policies. they include Brazil, China, Germany and the US, some of the largest emitters in the world.

99 of the 137 commitments are currently only being discussed, or more than 72%. This means that they do not yet have official status and are more difficult to trade. But as time goes on, the pressure on countries to keep their CO2-neutral commitments increases.

The National Public Utilities Council is the go-to place for anything to do with decarbonization in the utility industry. Learn more.