# Corporate Net-Zero Targets Remain Stable Despite Global Political Headwinds While major companies maintain climate commitments, cities and regions struggle to bridge the gap. - **Source:** [edie](https://www.edie.net) - **Published:** 2026-11-06 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/17976649-874c-44de-8113-51c79e601cc3 ## Global Net-Zero Commitment Stability The Net Zero Tracker report, published on 6 November 2026, reveals that 47% of 4,062 major entities now hold net-zero targets. This figure remains unchanged from the previous year, showing significant growth from the 18% recorded in 2020. Over 90% of governments and firms have maintained their existing climate commitments. ## The Missing Middle Gap Cities and regions are identified as the missing middle in climate progress, with only 28% of cities and 29% of states holding net-zero goals. While 68% of G7 cities have targets, this drops to 30% for G20 cities. Only 5% of cities in low-income countries currently maintain such climate commitments. ## Corporate Revenue and Implementation Approximately 64% of the world's largest companies now have net-zero targets, representing $40 trillion in annual revenue. Implementation is improving, with 80% of these firms publishing detailed transition plans, up from 69% in 2025. Furthermore, 95% of these companies now disclose annual progress information regarding their specific climate-related goals. ## Sectoral and Regional Disparities Financial sector firms are notably less likely to have mitigation targets, with 27% lacking any goal compared to 13% in other industries. Regionally, Chinese firms are showing improvement as the share of companies without targets fell from 65% to 58%. European companies continue to lead in total revenue coverage for targets. ## Scope 3 Emissions Challenges A significant gap remains in emissions coverage, as only 48% of net-zero targets fully account for Scope 3 emissions, where the majority of corporate impact typically resides. Less than a quarter of companies provide partial coverage. Experts emphasize that better disclosure does not automatically equate to actual reductions in emissions trajectories. ## US Corporate Resilience Despite political opposition to the clean transition, 51% of US companies maintained net-zero targets in 2026, covering $13.1 trillion in revenue. This is a marginal change from 52% last year. However, the US nation itself remains among the countries lacking a long-term mitigation target, alongside Syria, Egypt, and Cuba. ## High-Profile Target Reversals Some major corporations have recently abandoned their climate commitments. Ralph Lauren dropped its 2040 target, while Nike stopped publicly stating a net-zero goal. Additionally, the US utility provider Duke Energy retracted its 2030 target. These departures highlight the difficulty of maintaining long-term climate strategies amidst shifting corporate and political priorities. ## Future Outlook and COP31 The report underscores that while target-setting has held firm, real-world progress remains slow. Analysts suggest that clean energy adoption is increasingly tied to energy security and lower import costs. Future success depends on whether leaders at COP31 can successfully back electrification targets to turn formal commitments into demonstrable, measurable climate progress. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.edie.net/corporate-net-zero-targets-hold-firm-while-cities-lag/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._