Dynamics of a ‘Net-Zero’ Norm: Origins, Diffusion and Contestation

Throughout 2020 there has been a cascade of new ‘net-zero’ emission announcements by a broad variety of national and sub-national governments, businesses and (institutional) investors. In 2019, only 17 countries were considering or had already adopted long-term net-zero targets. By the end of 2020, this coalition had grown to 127 countries, responsible for 66% of global emissions. The rapid and widespread adoption of net-zero targets presents a puzzling case of an emerging international norm, or ‘standard of appropriate behaviour’. The central question that we address in this paper is what explains this rapid diffusion of the net-zero norm? In doing so, we trace the dynamic process of the norm’s origins, emergence and diffusion in the international system. A key focus of our process-tracing analysis is the contestation the norm is still subject to. Net-zero pledges have been welcomed by the UN as the most significant and encouraging climate policy development of the past year, while others see it as a form of ‘performative politics’ to distract from more tangible climate actions that can help reduce emissions in the short-term. Other issues, including but not limited to, norm definition, timing, territoriality and strategy remain unresolved and will likely have an impact on the concrete implementation of policies and regulation to achieve the norm objectives. As such, net-zero fits into a broader ‘normative turn’ in global climate governance and its associated communicative techniques to galvanise international support for climate action. However, it will only have effect if concrete measures are rapidly put in place to achieve the objectives proposed by this norm.