Most scenarios for how the world might avoid more than 1.5 - 2.0⁰C of warming involve a rapid reduction in human-caused greenhouse gas emissions combined with large-scale efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, resulting in “net zero” emissions globally by the middle of the century. This notion was given formal expression in the Paris Agreement, which calls on countries to collectively achieve “a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century, on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty”.
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the idea of achieving net zero emissions has become a dominant paradigm for climate ambition among actors at all levels, from countries and subnational governments to corporate and institutional actors. Along with the proliferation of net zero targets among these actors, however, have come important questions about how they will be realized. Some observers have questioned the paradigm itself, fearing it could encourage over-reliance on risky and unproven removal technologies (Dyke et al. 2021; McLaren et al. 2019). Others have noted inconsistencies and ambiguities in how net zero targets are defined (Rogelj et al. 2021). Crucial questions remain about how to align individual net zero commitments with fair and equitable global outcomes, and what effective governance of such commitments could look like.
As the world prepares for the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement in 2023, it will be crucial to understand how net zero commitments are being realized in practice, the risk and opportunities of (plausible) net zero scenarios, the evolution of governance around net zero targets, and both individual and collective progress in achieving net zero targets. For this Article Collection in Carbon Management, therefore, we are soliciting contributions on the following topics:
- Net zero scenario modelling and analysis
- Cost-benefit analysis of net zero transitions
- Implications of the current energy and food crisis for achievement of net zero
- Review and assessment of net zero target definition, criteria, and standards
- Regulation and governance of net zero targets
- Equity dimensions and implications of net zero targets
- Net zero implications for UN sustainable development goals (SDGs)
- Net zero policy planning and implementation
- Risks, issues, and opportunities for land- vs. technology-based removals
- Technological innovation toward net zero
- GHG accounting methods for net zero
