What Is Carbon Neutrality, Net Zero and Climate Neutral

Geek Score: What is the meaning of carbon neutral, net zero and climate neutral?

 Are the terms carbon neutral, net zero and carbon neutral the same or they different?

Whether you’re using carbon-neutral, net zero or climate neutral in your goal, they all reflect the same intent to reduce or eliminate your organization’s impact on the climate system.

Hi, welcome to my website. In this article, I’ll be talking about the terms carbon-neutral, net zero and climate neutral.

 In most cases, these terms are, and can be used interchangeably, but there are differences in how they’re defined and what they are taken to mean in terms of how goals are to be achieved.

 Let’s have a look at the definitions of the terms first. According to the IPCC one and a half degrees report, the definitions are as follows.

Carbon Neutrality or Net Zero carbon dioxide emissions are achieved when your organization’s CO2 emissions are balanced globally by CO2 removal, typically over one year.

Related, What is Greenwashing in ESG?

Net Zero emissions are achieved when your organization’s emissions of all greenhouse gases, so Co2e, are balanced by greenhouse gas removals, typically over one year.

Climate neutrality is achieved when organizational activities result is no net effect on the climate system.

In climate neutral claims, regional or local bio-geophysical effects have to be accounted for, such as radioactive forcing from aircraft condensation trails for instance.

In Summary, a carbon-neutral target relates to carbon dioxide only, whereas a net zero goal includes all greenhouse gases, and the climate neutral goals extends to other effects such as radioactive forcing as well.

For most organizations, carbon-neutral, net zero and climate neutral mean the same. If an organization releases mainly carbon dioxide there is not much difference between using the term, carbon-neutral, net zero or climate neutral.

 And also, for most sectors, net zero emissions and climate neutrality are the same due to the most important climate impact being the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

However, some sectors such as aviation, should consider other climate impacts from non-CO2 to radioactive forcing as well. 

Also you can read about Net Zero Emissions.

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Tags: What does carbon neutrality mean, What is carbon neutrality, Net zero emissions meaning, What does climate neutral mean.