The Green Pledge Loophole: How Corporate Net-Zero Promises Became a Substitute for the Regulations That Actually Reduce Emissions
Fortune 500 corporations have made hundreds of net-zero pledges, published thousands of sustainability reports, and spent billions on ESG branding — while actual emissions from many of the heaviest polluters have barely moved. The uncomfortable truth is that voluntary environmental commitments were never designed to reduce pollution. They were designed to make binding regulation feel unnecessary.