Lack of accountability undermines global carbon neutrality efforts

A lack of accountability mechanisms has become the biggest gap undermining the credibility of countries' carbon neutrality goals, with only 46 of the 167 countries and regions that have set such targets establishing related accountability arrangements, according to the 2026 Global Carbon Neutrality Annual Progress Report.

The report, which was unveiled at Tsinghua University on Tuesday, said that while most countries can report progress toward their climate goals, few have established a complete institutional mechanism for verifying results, correcting deviations and holding responsible parties accountable. Without such mechanisms, implementation depends heavily on political cycles, weakening the durability of long-term climate commitments.

Wang Can, a professor at Tsinghua University's School of Environment, said that the carbon neutrality process around the globe continues to advance, but its expansion has slowed down.

"The signal for global carbon neutrality targets remains solid, though marginal growth in their number has slowed markedly," he said.

As of May 2026, 167 of the 198 countries and regions included in the report had announced carbon neutrality-related targets, accounting for about 84 percent of the total. Among them, 118, or about 60 percent, had set net-zero emissions targets.

However, the number of countries and regions with such targets increased by only two from the 2025 report. The report said this suggests that major economies and key emitting sectors have largely reached a stage where targets have been established, and that future assessments should focus increasingly on whether those targets are being delivered.

Only 14 countries have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, an increase of three from the previous year. Even if all existing targets were achieved on schedule, the report said, the current target system would not provide sufficient momentum to accelerate global progress.

Wang said the quality of climate targets had improved in several areas. The number of countries with targets covering all greenhouse gases increased by 16, while the number of countries with independent carbon removal targets rose by nine.

The report found that the legal and reporting foundations for climate targets are gradually taking shape. Thirty-seven countries have established their carbon neutrality targets through legislation, while 73 have included them in policy documents. Among the 167 countries and regions with carbon neutrality-related targets, 158 have established annual or non-annual reporting mechanisms.

Accountability, however, has lagged far behind reporting. Globally, only 51 countries have accountability systems related to climate targets, including just 46 countries that have announced their carbon neutrality-related targets. The report said that this gap has created the largest weakness in the credibility of climate action.

"In terms of implementation credibility, the legalization of targets and reporting mechanisms have initially taken shape, but the biggest gap remains accountability," Wang said, adding that most countries have not formed a complete institutional loop covering reporting, verification and accountability.

The report also noted that climate-related legislation and litigation are expanding. Its database identified an average of 58.8 climate laws per country, an increase of 21.4 percent from the 2025 report.

Climate litigation was included as a new indicator in the report, which is the fourth edition that has been published, with records found in 66 countries and no records identified in 132. Most countries with recorded climate litigation had fewer than 20 cases, it said.

The report called for the measurement of climate progress to shift from target coverage to target fulfillment, with stronger monitoring, verification and accountability systems needed to ensure that national pledges survive changes in political cycles.