The Country Best Prepared for Carbon Neutrality is 'Norway'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jihwan Park] Norway has been identified as the country best prepared for carbon neutrality (Net Zero) worldwide.

KPMG, a global accounting and consulting firm, announced on the 14th through its globally first published "Net Zero Readiness Index (NZRI)" report that it compared the greenhouse gas reduction status of 32 countries and evaluated each country's readiness to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

KPMG used 103 indicators, the key drivers for achieving carbon neutrality, to announce the top 32 countries based on performance criteria and 7 countries of interest. Following Norway, which ranked first, Nordic countries such as the United Kingdom (2nd), Sweden (3rd), and Denmark (4th) ranked highly. South Korea ranked 11th overall, the second highest in Asia after Japan (7th). The countries of interest included △India △Indonesia △Nigeria △Russia △Saudi Arabia △South Africa △Thailand.

A KPMG official stated, "Among the surveyed countries, only nine countries accounting for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions have established legally binding carbon neutrality targets, and some countries are lagging in adopting carbon neutrality," emphasizing, "Systematic strategies and policies must support the implementation of carbon neutrality."

Despite being one of the world's major oil and gas exporters, Norway ranked first in this year's survey due to private and public investments in renewable energy and electric vehicle policies.

The report explained that although the Norwegian parliament has taken the lead in carbon neutrality by deciding to advance the target year from 2050 to 2030, challenges for the carbon neutrality transition still remain.

The United Kingdom, preparing for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to be held this November, ranked second through political support across parties and clearly legislated target setting. However, many obstacles remain in the heating and building sectors.

Sweden ranked third overall, based on climate policies, international support for green energy, and technology. Sweden's next goal for decarbonization is to continuously reduce dependence on agricultural exports and imports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.