When Kemi Badenoch claimed that other countries aren’t following the UK on net-zero, she overlooked a simple truth: 140 nations already have. In London, where political debate swirls around the cost of climate action, the global picture tells a different story—one of near-universal alignment. The UK may have been the first major economy to enshrine net-zero by 2050 into law in 2019, but it is far from alone. Today, 74% of global emissions are covered by national net-zero targets, a shift driven by the scientific consensus that stopping global warming requires balancing carbon emissions with removal. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been unequivocal: net-zero CO2 emissions are non-negotiable for climate stability.
Among the world’s top 20 carbon emitters, only two stand apart— the United States and Iran. While Iran has never adopted a formal target, the US had one under President Biden, only for it to be abandoned by the current Trump administration. Yet even there, momentum persists from below: 18 US states and 43 cities still hold net-zero commitments, from California to New York City. Globally, the movement is deeply institutionalized. Thirty-four countries, including Germany, France, and Japan, have written net-zero into law, the strongest form of commitment. Another 63 have enshrined it in policy, 16 have issued formal pledges, and 23 are developing proposals. Four nations, including Bhutan and Suriname, have already achieved net-zero, thanks to vast forest cover and low industrial output.
The argument that net-zero is a unilateral burden on the UK economy collapses under scrutiny. Since 1990, the UK has slashed its emissions by 54% while nearly doubling its GDP—proof that decoupling growth from fossil fuels is not just possible, but already happening. John Lang, lead of the Net Zero Tracker, puts it bluntly: the real risk isn’t climate policy, but clinging to fossil fuels in an era of volatility. The ongoing Iran crisis, he notes, underscores how dependence on oil exposes nations to geopolitical shocks and price swings. Far from going it alone, the UK is part of a global majority choosing resilience over risk. As more nations lock in long-term climate strategies, the path forward isn’t isolation—it’s leadership. And with over 70% of the world’s countries now committed, the question isn’t who’s following the UK, but who’s choosing to fall behind.