That is according to Net Zero Tracker’s Net Zero Stocktake 2025, which shows that 304 US-headquartered firms in the Forbes Global 2000 have now set targets, up from 279, including new commitments from eBay, Merck & Co and Goodyear.
These 304 companies account for $12trn (£9trn) in global revenue and 64% of the country’s corporate revenue assessed, with 52% of America’s largest corporations now having net-zero targets.
Worldwide, 63% of the Forbes Global 2000 have targets covering $36.6trn – or 70% of total revenue in the ranking – two-thirds of which back these up with plans.
The findings came just hours before president Trump gave an extraordinary address to the UN General Assembly in New York where he described climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and derided the “green energy scam”.
However, John Lang, Net Zero Tracker lead, said: “Talk of a ‘net-zero recession’ is overblown. Backtracking is confined to fossil fuels and their financiers, while more companies are moving from box-ticking to real emission cuts – a long-overdue reset.
“From the devastating LA fires to floods in Pakistan, 2025 has shown why reaching net zero, the only way to halt rising temperatures, is so urgent.”
Of the 198 countries, 712 regions, 1,186 cities, and 1,987 publicly listed companies tracked, at least 1,935 now have net-zero targets, including:
137 countries, up from 124 in 2020
216 states and regions, up from 73
337 cities, up from 115
1,245 companies, up from 417.
Overall, 2.55 billion people are now covered by net-zero targets from their cities, states and regions — up from 497 million in 2020, a more than five-fold increase.
However, while commitments continue to rise, the analysis also shows that the quality of net-zero strategies continues to lag, with only 7% of company targets meeting ‘starting line’ integrity criteria.
Just 4% of city net-zero targets meet this criteria – unchanged since 2024 – while only 6.5% of regions meet the criteria, up from 3.5% since last year, although net-zero coverage increased from 186 to 216 regions.
The US' abandonment of its federal net-zero target saw global coverage by national-level commitments fall from 93% to 77% of global GDP.
“US companies know they need to keep pace with the EU, China and other regions where climate policy is increasingly shaping competitiveness,” commented Thomas Hale, professor of global public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.
“Net zero is less a political battleground and more a race to secure future markets, investment and jobs.”
Image credit: Shutterstock
Graphic credit: Net Zero Tracker
Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of ISEP’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for ISEP members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.
