International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

Net-zero emissions targets have become the central organizing principle of global climate governance, shaping national policies, corporate strategies, and international negotiations. Often presented as scientifically necessary and politically neutral, net zero is increasingly recognized as a contested objective with significant justice implications. This paper critically examines net-zero decarbonization pathways through a climate justice lens, focusing on their consequences for development in the Global South. Drawing on Armstrong and McLaren’s analysis of the conceptual ambiguity of net zero, the study argues that variations in mitigation timing, reliance on carbon removals, and definitions of residual emissions produce unequal distributive outcomes. Delayed mitigation in high-income countries combined with dependence on negative emissions technologies risks transferring environmental, economic, and governance burdens to developing regions. Complementing this perspective, Sovacool et al.’s governance critique highlights how knowledge production and technological control remain concentrated in the Global North, reinforcing existing global inequalities. The paper conceptualizes net zero as a developmental dilemma rather than a universally beneficial climate goal. It advances a justice-oriented framework integrating temporal, distributive, and procedural justice to evaluate net-zero strategies. Achieving climate stability, therefore, requires reframing net zero as a justicecentered process aligned with equitable global development.

Dr. C. Sharmila Rao, Yash Ganeriwala, Sanjsaya M, Krishna Sarbari Ghosh, Dhruv Rastogi,"Transitions, Old Inequalities, Climate Justice and the Hidden Costs of Net-Zero Policies in the Global South Green and the Road to Viksit Bharat @2047" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(2): Page(1659-1668) Mar-Apr 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.