Visualized: Emission Reduction Targets by Country in 2024

Since 2021, another 40 countries have established climate goals for 2030. However, the path to net zero remains uneven.

With average national warming already 1.81°C above pre-industrial levels, the international pressure for countries to cut emissions faster and deeper is mounting. So where do countries stand today on their targets?

We’ve partnered with the National Public Utilities Council to answer just this question, using the latest national emission target data from Net Zero Tracker.

A Spotlight on Major Players

The largest countries and richest economies typically emit the most greenhouse gases and thus have the most crucial targets.

The United States has an interim goal of a 50-52% reduction in emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, with a net zero target set for 2050.

Their primary economic rival, China, is focused on peaking its CO₂ emissions by 2030 instead of reducing them. Their net zero target, on the other hand, is currently set for 2060.

The European Union requires all 27 member states to reduce emissions 55% by 2030, with a net-zero goal for 2050.

Australia, which is among the top emitters per capita because of its fossil fuel usage, aims to reduce emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030, while their net zero target is set for 2050.

Ambitious Climate Leaders and Laggards

While Comoros, Bhutan, Gabon, Suriname, and Guyana claim to have already achieved net zero, several major countries lack commitment.

Russia, one of the world’s largest polluters, has a net zero target set for 2060. Several other top-emitting countries, such as India and Indonesia, have net zero targets that also do not meet the Paris Climate Accord timeline of net zero by 2050. Their net-zero commitments are targeted at 2070 and 2060, respectively.

Iran is the only one of the top 10 largest emitting nations without a net zero target. However, it has an interim target of reducing emissions 3.45% by 2030.

Finland leads all countries with a legally binding net zero target set for the ambitious year 2035. Germany, a more populous nation, is also topping the Paris Climate Accord timeline, enshrining its net zero target into law for 2045.

The global race to net zero is ongoing, with countries at various stages of commitment. While significant progress has been made, many of the world’s largest emitters have yet to commit to net zero emission goals aligned with the Paris Climate Accord.

Visualized: The Price of Carbon Around the World

Only 1% of global emissions are priced high enough to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature target in 2024.

This chart, created in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, shows carbon prices around the world using data from the World Bank.

Let’s start by looking at what carbon pricing is and how it works.

What Is Carbon Pricing?

Carbon pricing is an environmental strategy aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by assigning a monetary cost to carbon emissions. 

The most common types of carbon pricing are emissions trading systems (ETS) and carbon taxes. The former sets an overall emission limit and allocates permits for trading, whereas the latter imposes a fee on emissions to increase their cost and incentivize reductions.

According to the World Bank, Finland and Poland were the first countries to implement a federal carbon price in 1990. The most recent countries, on the other hand, were Australia, Hungary, and Indonesia, implementing carbon pricing in 2023.

Carbon Prices, By Region

In 2017, the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition suggested that carbon prices should range from $50–100/tCO₂ by 2030 to meet the Paris Climate Agreement’s temperature goal.

Fast forward to 2024, the global average carbon price is $32/tCO₂—$18 short of the minimum that is needed in six years.

Carbon pricing varies significantly across different regions. Europe and Central Asia have the highest number of pricing initiatives out of any other world region, with an average price of $50.

In the U.S. and Canada, the average price is slightly lower at $48 per ton, with 16 initiatives in place. North America’s approach is characterized by both federal and state/provincial systems, including notable schemes like Canada’s federal carbon pricing and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the United States.

The European Union’s ETS system was introduced in 2005. The initiative led to a 16% decrease in covered emissions between 2022 and 2023 and generated $47 billion. Several EU member countries have also implemented their own carbon pricing mechanisms to address sectors outside the EU ETS’s scope or to generate domestic revenue.

While there are notable efforts made in Europe, Central Asia, and North America, the highest carbon tax in the world belongs to Uruguay at $167/tCO₂.  According to the World Bank, Uruguay’s GDP per capita is $20,795, which is significantly lower than other countries with Paris Agreement-aligned carbon pricing.

Despite these differing initiatives, the global average carbon price still lags behind the levels needed to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, emphasizing the critical need for more robust and widespread adoption of carbon pricing to drive meaningful climate action.