Beyond Net-Zero: Doing More Than 'Less Harm' Will Matter in 2026

MANY companies began with sustainability targets like net-zero dates, percentage reductions, and long-term plans. This phase is necessary. It helped organisations understand their impact and brought environmental issues into conversations that were often absent. The year so far shows that targets alone do not change realities on the ground -- execution of the plan is vital.

- BY K GANESH

Across India and globally, environmental stress is already affecting everyday life. Groundwater levels are falling, air quality is deteriorating, waste systems struggle to cope, weather patterns have become unpredictable, and communities feel the strain. For businesses, these are not abstracts but operational realities and risks.

This is why the conversation is slowly moving beyond net-zero towards what many now call climate-positive and nature-positive action, strategies that not only do less harm but actively contribute positively to ecosystems and communities. Studies and practitioners argue that net-zero must be a steppingstone rather than a destination in our quest to sustain natural systems and long-term economic resilience.

Reducing emissions and improving resource efficiency will always matter. These actions are essential first steps. But in a country like India, where natural resources are already stretched thin, simply slowing the rate of emission and improving resource efficiency is not enough. In many cases, it only prolongs the decline of ecosystems.