Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 1...

Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 14 to 23.

lining Fossil fuel company net zero plans 'largely meaningless,' report says

Amid a growing wave of corporate climate commitments, a new report delivers a stark assessment: the recent surge in "net-zero" targets from fossil fuel companies is largely performative and lacks the requisite substance for genuine climate action. [I] The analysis, conducted by Net Zero Tracker, a research consortium including the University of Oxford, found that while the number of major firms with such pledges has risen sharply, their plans are undermined by critical deficiencies that render them "largely meaningless."

The report's primary criticism targets the pervasive failure to address Scope 3 emissions. For fossil fuel companies, this is by far the most crucial category, as it encompasses the emissions generated from the end-use combustion of their products. This single source can account for up to 90% of a company's total carbon footprint. [II] The assessment determined that the vast majority of corporate net-zero plans either completely disregard these emissions, lack transparency in their accounting, or fail to present any credible reduction strategy, thereby negating their core environmental accountability.

Beyond the glaring omission of Scope 3, the report identifies other significant shortcomings. [III] Researchers noted a widespread absence of clear, short-term reduction targets, which are essential for ensuring accountability and preventing procrastination. Furthermore, the analysis highlights a profound contradiction: not a single one of the 112 companies reviewed had made any substantive commitment to phasing out or even reducing their primary business of fossil fuel extraction. Such practices fall far short of the stringent guidelines issued by the United Nations to prevent corporate greenwashing.

The credibility gap between rhetoric and reality extends beyond the corporate world. The report's findings arrive in a context where over 4,000 entities globally, including countries and cities, have made similar net-zero commitments. [IV] A separate study recently published in the journal Science, however, found that roughly 90% of national net-zero targets are also deemed unachievable due to inadequate planning. While some industry experts contend that credible transition plans take time to develop, the profound disconnect between public pledges and the concrete actions required for genuine decarbonization casts serious doubt on the current state of global climate commitments.

Question 14: According to paragraph 1, the conclusion that numerous corporate climate promises lack significance stems from ______.

A. the recent sharp increase in the number of firms with "net-zero" pledges

B. the participation of fossil fuel companies in a growing wave of climate commitments

C. a specific finding from the University of Oxford about meaningless corporate pledges

D. the absence of credible and detailed plans to support the stated commitments