Climate change is a common and pressing challenge for the survival and development of mankind that requires joint efforts and active responses from the international community. At the critical moment of global social and economic change, it has become a consensus and a global trend to promote green and low-carbon high-quality development and achieve carbon neutrality. Up to now, more than 100 countries have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century. To deal with the impacts of climate change, it is imperative to stick to and implement the Paris Agreement, accelerating low-carbon transition and innovation, limiting the global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century, and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. All parties need to follow the principles and provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, set realistic targets and visions according to each nation’s conditions, take actions to speed up the green and low-carbon transition and the innovation of technologies and mechanisms, striving to reach net-zero emissions ahead of schedule.

Achieving carbon neutrality calls for a systematic reform of technology, economy and society, which will completely change the traditional modes of production, living and consumption. It is thus necessary to set up an international academic communication platform to disseminate scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, policy innovation and system design, and to share experience in the transition towards carbon neutrality. This is of great significance for exploring effective low-carbon transition pathways and driving scientific innovation as well as management and business model innovation to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. In this context, Carbon Neutrality is launched as a response to the lack of academic journals focused on carbon-neutral solutions, aiming to become a flagship and multi-disciplinary international journal in the associated area and contribute to the global goal of achieving carbon neutrality.

Focused on net-zero carbon research, Carbon Neutrality advocates the integration of cross disciplines including natural sciences, engineering, management, economics, and social sciences. The journal strives to build a leading international platform for knowledge exchange and policy-making references, calling on the global community to explore cutting-edge low-carbon/zero-carbon technologies, low-carbon policies, carbon finance and management, and carbon neutrality pathways. It will provide intellectual support for all nations in tackling climate change, advancing global environmental governance, and realizing green sustainable development. In addition, as an open-access journal, Carbon Neutrality will benefit the global research community, entrepreneurs, and policy makers through the rapid and widespread dissemination and application of its latest research findings in reaching carbon neutrality. With the publication of the inaugural issue of Carbon Neutrality, I sincerely hope experts and scholars from all over the world could stay connected and work together to find effective solutions for accelerating the global low-carbon/zero-carbon transition through mutual consensus and shared expertise, and contribute to the green and sustainable development of the world.

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Zhenhua Xie

China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change