Announcement: COP30 Action Agenda calls for accelerating the implementation of the Global Stocktake. Read here.

Get net zero right: A how-to guide

The UN High Level Champions and Oxford Net Zero have designed a toolkit to help us all better identify credible net zero commitments and those that miss the mark. Get net zero right: A how-to guide

Thursday, 8 July 2021 | By Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Munoz, UN High Level Champions for COP25 and 26

Share This Page:

Scientists have demonstrated that we must get our world to a state of net zero emissions as soon as possible (and by 2050 at the absolute latest) in order to limit the worst effects of climate change.

Net zero is defined by the IPCC, the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, as:

“When anthropogenic CO2 emissions are balanced globally by anthropogenic CO2 removals over a specified period.”

Simply put, at a global level we need to balance the amount of emissions we put into the atmosphere with the amount we take out.

What this means in practice — and how the term net zero has been used — has been subject to fierce debate and contention as it has grown in popularity over the last decade.

There has been a significant growth in the number of ‘net zero commitments’ made by companies, cities, regions, investors, and educational institutions — but not all commitments are made equal.

So how do we know that net zero commitments are going to meaningfully contribute towards halving global emissions by 2030 – and which miss the mark?

The UN High Level Champions and Oxford Net Zero have designed a toolkit to help us all understand what a credible net zero commitment looks like, and which commitments lack the substance needed to deliver a zero carbon world in time.

It includes insight into critical topics such as emissions scopes, offsetting, interim targets and immediate action plans.

In all things, actions speak louder than words — and so even institutions with credible climate commitments must be transparent and clearly demonstrate their immediate steps in to reach zero emissions as quickly as possible.

Unlike most races, the race to zero emissions won’t have one winner.

In this race we all win, or we all lose.

To view the toolkit, please click here.

Related Reading

Support builds for micro, small and medium businesses on the road to COP30

Support builds for micro, small and medium businesses on the road to COP30

27 June 2025

News London Climate Action Week Business Campaigns Cities Human Settlements Inclusion Finance Resilience Climate-Proofing SMEs
Climate High-Level Champions announce call to scale SME climate action ahead of COP30

Climate High-Level Champions announce call to scale SME climate action ahead of COP30

24 June 2025

News Business London Climate Action Week Finance Inclusion Resilience Climate-Proofing SMEs
Small business, big impact: a united effort at London Climate Action Week 2025

Small business, big impact: a united effort at London Climate Action Week 2025

23 June 2025

Business Campaigns SMEs Climate-Proofing SMEs
 New Action Agenda and calls for delivery as London Climate Action Week 2025 opens

New Action Agenda and calls for delivery as London Climate Action Week 2025 opens

23 June 2025

News Adaptation Business Campaigns High-Level Champions London Climate Action Week SMEs Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda Race to Zero Race to Resilience Climate-Proofing SMEs