Net zero under pressure: From commitment to credible delivery

​Net zero remains the organising framework for the global climate transition – but it is being tested by growing geopolitical, economic and energy-security pressures. While the headline picture suggests resilience, it also masks significant movement beneath the surface: momentum is continuing in some countries and sectors, while others are delaying, weakening or reconsidering previous commitments.

​Drawing on the Net Zero Stocktake 2026, this session will examine whether governments and companies are moving from headline targets to credible implementation,how progress differs across major economies; and what distinguishes genuine recalibration from backtracking.

​The session opens with a short presentation of the Stocktake data, followed by a panel discussion with:

• ​Louise Bammel, Analyst, NewClimate Institute

• ​Professor Thomas Hale, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

• ​Takeshi Kuramochi, Project Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, University of Tokyo

• ​John Lang, Project Lead, Net Zero Tracker (Energy And Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) - Moderator

• ​Catherine McKenna, Chair of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Pledges (invited)

• ​Helena Viñes Fiestas, Commissioner of the Spanish Financial Markets Authority (CNMV) and co-Chair of the Taskforce on Net Zero Policy (invited)

​Places are limited to a select audience of 35 stakeholders. [RSVP details / link]

​About the Net Zero Tracker: the world’s leading independent tracker of the quantity and quality of net zero targets. It is a consortium of ECIU, the Data-Driven EnviroLab, NewClimate Institute, and Oxford Net Zero.