Real Zero Leadership: Positive Practice in the Net Zero Pledges of Australian Companies

<p dir="ltr">To limit long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius (˚C), global emissions need to reduce by 43% below 2019 levels by 2030. Yet at the end of 2024, worldwide emissions from fossil fuels had increased another 0.8% across the year compared to 2023 and it was the first year the global average temperature exceeded 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. A decade on from the Paris Agreement, it is clear that industry and governments are not doing enough to reduce emissions, despite the voluntary climate pledges covering over 90% of the global economy. An increase in the ambition and credibility of corporate targets and transition plans is urgently needed to accelerate the transition.<br><br>Climate Integrity has commissioned the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) to assess companies identified as “real zero” leaders that prioritise science-based decarbonisation and commit to phase out fossil fuels without overreliance on contested measures like offsetting or carbon capture and storage.</p>