What does "net zero" mean?

At the level of the whole world, the IPCC (AR6) defines net zero greenhouse gas emissions as the point when human-caused emissions are balanced by human-caused removals over a set period. The Paris Agreement (Article 4.1, 2015) sets the goal of reaching such a balance in the second half of this century. The IPCC (AR6 Working Group III, Summary for Policymakers, 2022) found that global net zero CO2 is reached in the early 2050s in pathways that limit warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot, and around the early 2070s in pathways that limit it to 2°C.

India has announced a target of net zero emissions by 2070 (stated in India's First Biennial Transparency Report, BTR-1, to the UNFCCC).

For companies, the most widely used rulebook is the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Corporate Net-Zero Standard, launched in October 2021. Version 1.3 remains open for new target submissions until 31 January 2028. Its core rules are:

1. Near-term targets covering the next 5 to 10 years, roughly halving emissions before 2030.
2. Long-term targets to cut emissions by 90% to 95% before 2050 across scopes 1, 2 and 3.
3. Neutralising only the residual emissions left after those cuts, using permanent carbon removals.
4. Beyond value chain mitigation, such as funding climate projects elsewhere, encouraged in addition to, and never instead of, deep cuts.

Under the SBTi approach, buying carbon credits does not count as cutting a company's own emissions. SBTi published Version 2.0 of the standard in June 2026; according to SBTi, validations under Version 2.0 open from 1 February 2027, and all new target submissions must follow it from 1 February 2028.

The UN High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, set up by the UN Secretary-General in March 2022, published its report "Integrity Matters" at COP27 in November 2022. Its 10 recommendations include setting interim targets for 2025, 2030 and 2035, not counting carbon credits toward interim reductions, planning an exit from fossil fuels, aligning lobbying with climate targets, and reporting progress every year with independent verification.