Operationalizing corporate climate action through five research frontiers

Corporations possess unparalleled agency to drive global net-zero transitions, yet commitments remain disconnected from action. Realizing this potential requires clearer guidance and stronger alignment between goals and implementation. Current protocols fail to support companies in measuring their emissions accurately. Our analysis reveals companies changing boundaries experience emission fluctuations exceeding 30,000% in some sectors, while strategic emission factor selection can artificially show 30% reductions despite actual increases. This creates inconsistencies that cascade across their entire net-zero journey through abstract sectoral pathways and inadequate verification mechanisms. Co-creating industry-specific blueprints with representative corporations through five transformative research frontiers can address these systemic barriers. They deliver pragmatic tools for standardized emission accounting, science-aligned targets, dynamic cost modeling, and robust verification mechanisms. The proposed framework could translate climate science into actionable corporate strategies, equipping businesses as planetary stewards while enabling targeted policy incentives and strategic capital allocation.