Tsinghua Report Maps Global Hurdles to Carbon Neutrality

The report, presented by Professor Wang Can, utilizes over 200 indicators to assess how nations are navigating the move toward net-zero. While wind, solar, and electric vehicle adoption continue to scale, the data reveals a critical disconnect: technological maturity is no longer the sole arbiter of success. Instead, the transition is increasingly hampered by grid integration limits, prohibitive financing costs, and a lack of viable business models for emerging sectors like clean hydrogen and CCUS.

Government officials and academic leaders, including Li Gao of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and former UN official Erik Solheim, highlighted that the transition has entered a complex new phase. Developing economies remain particularly vulnerable, struggling with trade barriers and the technical capacity required to deploy green systems at scale. The findings emphasize that future progress depends on aligning international market mechanisms and infrastructure development with existing technological breakthroughs.