The state of global emissions: standards, industry claims, and emerging solutions

Article by Latham & Watkins

On 6 November 2025, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) published a second draft of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard (the Standard) Version 2.0 for public consultation, which marks the next step in the revision process of SBTi’s key voluntary, science-based net zero target-setting standard. The second draft draws on feedback from the first public consultation, alongside input from expert working groups. 

Planet-warming greenhouse gases from the lifetime of the controversial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea would be the equivalent of 90% of Scotland's emissions for 2023. The oil giant Shell has published details of the environmental cost of burning fuel from the field over 11 years, should it be given approval. An assessment of the plans, along with those for the Rosebank oil field off Shetland, had to be resubmitted after they were successfully challenged in court. The company says the estimate is at the highest end of what's likely and still less than if the gas was imported from overseas.

Surging demand for high-quality carbon removal credits from tech giants to offset their AI-driven emissions is helping fuel a shortage that experts say is exactly what is needed to spur investment in the nascent market. Heavy buying over the last two years by companies including Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab made the credits nearly four times more expensive in 2024 than lower-priced credits pegged to forest-preservation projects.

Launched in 2024, NEOVYN™ is now available from nearly all of INEOS Inovyn’s production sites using access to renewable energy sources, including hydroelectric power from Norway, electricity from North Sea wind turbines in Antwerp and solar energy in Jemeppe. As a result, it provides a significantly reduced carbon footprint that is 37% lower than the European industry average for suspension PVC, reduced to 1.3 kg CO2 per kg PVC.

Article by USGBC

In the pursuit of net zero carbon buildings and infrastructure, operational carbon has long been the industry's primary concern. For decades, the focus on reducing emissions from heating, cooling and lighting has shaped building codes, LEED certification strategies and corporate ESG goals. As energy-efficient buildings increasingly become the standard, astute architects and engineers are turning their focus to another, frequently overlooked and underestimated emission source: embodied carbon.