Net Zero Emissions Explained: All You Need to Know
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In less than a decade, the term “net zero” has gone from a mere scientific term to mainstream climate policy. Experts say that achieving net zero emissions before 2050 is crucial to avoiding the worst effects of climate change. So, we had to ask: What is net zero emissions really, and how could achieving it help us mitigate climate change?
Net zero occurs when greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions entering the atmosphere are balanced out by GHG removal from the atmosphere. The Paris Climate Agreement dictates we must reach net zero by 2050 to prevent the worst effects of climate change, but we are not currently on track to meet this goal.
Keep reading to find out all about what net zero is, how we can achieve it, why it is important to mitigate climate change, if we are on track to achieve it soon enough, how it relates to the Paris Climate Agreement, and how you can personally help to achieve net zero.
The Big Picture of Net Zero Emissions
Net zero is one of the most common terms used when discussing climate change. Experts have deemed it the standard we should strive to meet by 2050 in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
What net zero emissions means | Net zero emissions refers to achieving a balance between the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions we produce and the GHGs we take out of the atmosphere. |
How we could achieve net zero | Achieving net zero is a two-part approach. In a net zero scenario, emissions are directly reduced as much as possible first, and any remaining emissions are balanced out with carbon offsetting. |
Why net zero is important to mitigate climate change | Net zero is the state at which global warming stops. Achieving net zero emissions is important because when the amount of GHGs entering our atmosphere is equal to the amount removed, there are fewer harmful emissions that can contribute to climate change. |
What the current status of net zero is | We are not currently on track to reach net zero by 2050, the target date identified in the Paris Climate Agreement. GHG emissions are predicted to continue to rise despite global, growing momentum and support for the net zero movement. To date, over 140 countries have stated a net zero target, covering roughly 88% of the world’s emissions. |
How net zero relates to the Paris Climate Agreement | The Paris Climate Agreement does not explicitly commit countries to achieve net zero. It instead marks the beginning of a shift towards a net-zero emissions world and lays out a framework to limit temperature rise to below 2°C, preferably below 1.5°C. |
What Does Net Zero Emissions Mean
Net zero emissions refers to achieving a balance between the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions we produce and the GHGs we take out of the atmosphere.
“Net Zero: a target of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gasses produced by human activity, to be achieved by reducing emissions and implementing methods of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”
Oxford Languages
The main GHGs emitted by human activity include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gasses (F-gasses). Essentially, net zero involves reducing all of these emissions to a net result of zero by a specified target date via a combination of direct GHG emission reductions and GHG removal offsets.
When you hear the words “net zero”, think about the term “balance”. A net zero scenario exists when the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions entering our atmosphere are balanced out by GHG removal methods that take GHGs out of the atmosphere.
Entities must reduce emissions, but the rate at which they must do so is not specified, and carbon offsetting can be used to achieve the net zero goal. Essentially, achieving net zero is akin to achieving carbon neutrality, as opposed to actual emissions reduction.
How Could We Achieve Net Zero Emissions
Achieving net zero emissions is a two-part approach.
- First, conventional mitigation techniques are used to reduce emissions as much as possible;
- Second, GHG removal approaches (in the form of carbon offsets) are used to balance out any remaining emissions
Carbon offsets that remove GHGs from our atmosphere (GHG removal offsets) can be used to balance out the remaining emissions that are hard to reduce or unavoidable.
“Carbon Offset: a way for a company or person to reduce the level of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible by paying money to a company that works to reduce the total amount produced in the world, for example by planting trees”
Oxford Dictionary
When you hear the words “carbon offset”, think about the term “compensation”. Essentially, carbon offsets are reductions in carbon emissions that are used to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere.
Could We Achieve Net Zero Emissions Solely With a Reduction in GHG Emissions
Achieving net zero solely with a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is not feasible because in order to halt climate change, global emissions would have to drop to zero. But there are some industries, such as agriculture and aviation, in which reducing emissions down to zero is highly unlikely.
In order to offset the emissions from these industries, we will have to remove an equivalent amount of emissions from the atmosphere via GHG removal.
In short, net zero cannot be achieved solely with a reduction in GHGs. It will require an aggressive reduction of GHG emissions coupled with offsetting any unavoidable emissions.
What Key Technologies Can Help Us Reach Net Zero Emissions
Because we cannot reach net zero solely with a reduction in GHG emissions, refining and scaling up GHG removal technologies will be crucial to meeting net-zero targets.
Current GHG removal technologies focus heavily on removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from our atmosphere. Carbon removal methods can permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere, remove those emissions quickly, and reinforce our carbon sinks, depending on the type of removal.
Two of the most effective technological GHG removal solutions are direct carbon capture and carbon mineralization.
- Direct carbon capture company Climeworks has technology that pulls CO2 from the air whilst their carbon mineralization partner, Carbfix, turns captured CO2 into stone by dissolving it in water and injecting it underground where it reacts with basalt rock to form solid minerals. The process locks away CO2 for thousands of years with no long-term monitoring required.
Some of the most effective natural carbon removal solutions are reforestation, afforestation, and blue carbon.
- Carbon removal involving reforestation and afforestation takes advantage of trees’ and soils’ ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in leaves, trunks, roots, or soil. Our forests alone act as a giant carbon sink capable of absorbing a net 7.6 billion tons of CO2 per year.
- Carbon removal involving blue carbon takes advantage of mangrove trees’ ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in their vegetation and surrounding soil. However, the real carbon storage potential in blue carbon ecosystems is underground, with 50–99% of the carbon stored in the soil underground.
In short, refining and scaling up carbon removal methods such as direct carbon capture, carbon mineralization, reforestation, afforestation, and blue carbon will be key in helping us reach net zero.
Why Is Net Zero Emissions Important to Mitigate Climate Change
Achieving net zero emissions is important because when the amount of GHGs entering our atmosphere is equal to the amount removed, there are fewer harmful emissions that can contribute to climate change.
How Is Climate Change Defined
Climate change is arguably the most severe, long-term global impact of GHG emissions. Every year, over 54 billion tons (bt) of GHGs are emitted, the majority of which is CO2.
“Climate change: changes in the earth’s weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns, and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gasses, especially carbon dioxide.”
Oxford Dictionary
When GHGs enter the atmosphere, they absorb sunlight and solar radiation, trapping the heat and acting as an insulator for the planet.
Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s temperature has risen a little more than 1 degree Celsius (C), or 2 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Between 1880-1980 the global temperature rose by 0.07°C every 10 years. This rate has more than doubled since 1981, with a current global annual temperature rise of 0.18°C, or 0.32°F, for every 10 years.
How Does Reaching Net Zero Emissions Specifically Help Mitigate Climate Change
Net zero is the state at which global warming stops. Therefore, reaching net zero helps mitigate the following negative effects of climate change:
- Increasing temperatures: Earth’s atmosphere has warmed 1.5°C since 1880. This may not seem like a lot, but these degrees create regional and seasonal temperature extremes, reduce sea ice, intensify rainfall and drought severity, and change habitat ranges for plants and animals.
- Rising sea levels: Global sea levels have increased approximately 8-9 inches since 1880, displacing people living along coastlines and destroying coastal habitats. Roads, bridges, subways, water supplies, oil and gas wells, power plants, sewage treatment plants, and landfills remain at risk if sea level rise goes unchecked.
- Melting of sea ice: Since 1979, arctic sea ice has declined by 30%. Sea ice plays a major role in regulating the earth’s climate by reflecting sunlight into space and providing habitat for animal species. If all of the glaciers on Earth melted, sea levels would rise by approximately 70 feet, effectively flooding out every coastal city on the planet.
- Changing precipitation patterns: Extreme weather events (e.g., hurricanes, floods, droughts) are becoming more common and more intense. Storm-affected areas will experience increased precipitation and flooding whereas areas located further from storm tracks will experience decreased precipitation and droughts.
- Ocean acidification: The ocean absorbs 30% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere, which decreases the pH (increases the acidity) of the ocean. In the past 200 years, the pH of oceans has decreased by 0.1 pH units, which translates to a 30% increase in acidity. Aquatic life unable to adjust to this rapid acidification will die off. A prime example of this is coral bleaching, where coral expels the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues as a result of changes in temperature, light, or nutrients.
Experts claim that to avoid a future plagued by rising sea levels, acidified oceans, loss of biodiversity, more frequent and severe weather events, and other environmental disasters brought on by the hotter temperatures, we must limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2040.
The more we reduce GHG emissions, the more we slow the rate of temperature rise, sea-level rise, ice melting, and ocean acidification. When these rates are slowed, the earth’s biodiversity does not have to struggle to adapt to temperature and pH changes. People will not be displaced due to the flooding of coastal areas. And icebergs will continue to provide climate regulation.
Are We on Track to Achieve Net Zero Emissions Soon Enough
We are not currently on track to reach net zero by 2050, the target date identified in the Paris Climate Agreement. GHG emissions are predicted to continue to rise despite global, growing momentum and support for the net zero movement.
What Is the Current Projection of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Industrial Revolution brought a rapid increase in GHG emissions that have steadily increased since the mid-1800s.
Under current conditions, global emissions are projected to increase by 9% by 2030 instead of the 45% reduction in emissions needed by 2030 and the 100% reduction in emissions needed by 2050 to achieve net zero.
What Needs to Happen to Achieve Net Zero Emissions in Time
Achieving net zero in time will require us to both drastically cut GHG emissions and offset any remaining, unavoidable emissions. It will be a collaborative effort across all sectors of the world’s economy, including the energy, transportation, and food industries.
The first part of achieving net zero involves drastically cutting GHG emissions across all sectors of our economy. This includes ceasing the use of fossil fuels and switching to low-carbon energy sources, decarbonizing various industries, reducing deforestation and food waste, and investing in clean energy and energy efficiency.
The second part of achieving net zero is offsetting any remaining, unavoidable emissions via GHG removal, the process of eliminating GHGs from the atmosphere.
GHG removal solutions include both technological and natural ones, with direct carbon capture and planting trees being two of the most common strategies utilized.
Some of the most common GHG removal offsets include:
Is There a Global Effort to Reach Net Zero Emissions
Net zero is the internationally agreed-upon goal for mitigating global warming in the second half of the 21st century.
As the climate crisis continues to worsen, momentum and support for the global net zero effort continue to grow. Over 9,000 companies, 1,000 cities, 1,000 educational institutions, and 600 financial institutions have joined the cause and pledged immediate action to cut global emissions by 50% by 2030.
Which Countries Have Net Zero Emissions Targets
To date, over 140 countries have stated a net zero target, covering roughly 88% of the world’s emissions.
The countries with some of the most ambitious net zero targets include:
- Finland: Achieve net zero by 2035
- Austria: Achieve net zero by 2040
- Sweden: Cut GHG emissions by 59% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2045
- United Kingdom: Cut GHG emissions by 68% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050
- Iceland: Cut GHG emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050
- New Zealand: Achieve net zero by 2050
- France: Achieve net zero by 2050
Climate Watch has also developed a net zero tracker that shows each country’s policy documents, their GHG emission targets, and steps they have taken to achieve net zero.
Net Zero Emissions and the Paris Climate Agreement
The Paris Climate Agreement (PCA) is the most well-known piece of legally binding, global, international climate mitigation legislation. It aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius (°C), preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.
You can check out the highlights of the 2015 COP21 directly from the UN Climate Change channel here:
The PCA dictates we must cut current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to prevent the worst effects of climate change.
Does the Paris Climate Agreement Commit Countries to Achieve Net Zero Emissions
The Paris Climate Agreement (PCA) does not explicitly commit countries to achieve net zero. It instead marks the beginning of a shift towards a net-zero emissions world and lays out a framework to limit temperature rise to below 2°C.
In the short term, the PCA requires member parties to produce Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), or national climate action plans specific to that party. NDCs dictate actions a party will take to reduce GHG emissions in accordance with PCA goals. Every 5 years, there is an evaluation of collective efforts towards achieving the goals of the PCA and to plan further actions.
In the long term, the PCA sets goals to guide all parties to:
- Limit global warming to below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C
- Keep track of the collective progress of all parties towards achieving the purpose of the PCA
- Provide financing for developing countries to mitigate climate change
In terms of accountability, there are no hard enforcement measures (e.g., financial penalties) associated with the PCA. Although there are mandatory measures for monitoring, verification, and public reporting of climate mitigation progress for each party, the PCA largely relies on international cooperation and peer pressure to prevent any hypothetical “dragging of feet”.
Which Legislations Are Put In Place to Help Achieve Net Zero Emissions
The most well-known and encompassing piece of legislation put in place to achieve net zero is the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA), which emphasizes we must cut current GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to avoid the worst climate impacts.
Race to Zero is a global campaign backed by the United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCCC) with the same end goals as the PCA. But whereas the PCA is composed of nations, Race to Zero comprises non-state actors (e.g., companies, cities, financial/educational/healthcare institutions). To date, over 13,000 members have joined the campaign to race towards net zero and a more sustainable future.
Achieving net zero will require a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, which the PCA identifies as a critical part of meeting its goals. There are many global and country-specific policies and organizations aimed at increasing the use of renewable resources (e.g., solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, tidal, wave, and biomass) including:
- 1974 – The International Energy Agency (IEA): The IEA was founded in response to the major oil disruptions in 1974. It promotes international energy cooperation and is made up of 31 member countries.
- 1988 – The International Geothermal Association (IGA): The IGA is a leading, global organization that promotes geothermal energy as a vital part of the transition away from fossil fuels. Today, the IGA has over 5,000 members and 30 affiliate organizations.
- 1995 – The International Hydropower Association (IHA): The IHA is a nonprofit membership association that serves as a global voice for hydropower energy. They operate in over 120 countries and manage over 1/3rd of global installed hydropower capacity.
- 2005 – Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC): The GWEC was founded as an international trade association for the wind energy industry. Their members represent 99% of the global installed wind power capacity.
- 2008 – World Bioenergy Association (WBA): The World Bioenergy Association was founded to sustainably develop bioenergy globally and promote the business environment of bioenergy.
- 2009 – The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): IRENA was founded as a global intergovernmental agency focused on scaling renewable energy. It is comprised of 167 member countries as well as the European Union.
- 2013 – Ocean Energy Europe (OEE): They are the largest global network of marine energy professionals, with over 120 member organizations. They aim to advance tidal and wave energy technologies.
- 2015 – International Solar Alliance (ISA): The ISA is a treaty-based organization established to create cooperation among solar energy-resource-rich countries and the rest of the world. There are currently 94 member countries.
- 2023 – Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA): The GBA was launched at the G20 summit as an alliance between 19 countries and 12 international organizations to advance the development of sustainable biofuels.
If you are interested in learning more about country-specific renewable energy policies, you can visit the IEA’s policies database and filter by specific energy type.
How You Can Personally Help to Achieve Net Zero Emissions
Net Zero can instigate meaningful environmental change and begin to reverse some of the effects of climate change because it relies on methods of direct carbon reduction first before turning to carbon offsets.
One of the easiest and most meaningful ways to contribute to the net zero movement is to reduce your carbon footprint. These reduction measures don’t have to involve drastic changes either. Actions that may seem small can have a big impact because those small changes add up! You can directly reduce your carbon footprint in three main areas of your life: household, travel, and lifestyle.
Reduce your household footprint:
- Wash with cold water: Washing clothes in cold water could reduce carbon emissions by up to 11 million tons. Approximately 90% of the energy is used to heat the water, so switching to cold saves also saves energy.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs: Fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent ones, saving energy and thus reducing electricity demand and GHG emissions.
Reduce your travel footprint:
- Fly less: Aviation accounts for around 1.9% of global carbon emissions and 2.5% of CO2. Aircraft run on jet gasoline, which is converted to CO2 when burned.
- Walk or bike when possible: The most efficient ways of traveling are walking, bicycling, or taking the train. Using a bike instead of a car can reduce carbon emissions by 75%. These forms of transportation also provide lower levels of air pollution.
Reduce your lifestyle footprint:
- Switch to renewable energy sources: The six most common types of renewable energy are solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass energy. They are a substitute for fossil fuels that can reduce the effects of global warming by limiting global carbon emissions and other pollutants.
- Recycle: Recycling uses less energy and deposits less waste in landfills. Less manufacturing and transportation energy costs means less carbon emissions generated. Less waste in landfills means less CH4 is generated.
- Switch from single-use to sustainable products: Reusing products avoids resource extraction, reduces energy use, reduces waste generation, and can prevent littering.
- Eat less meat and dairy: Meat and dairy account for 14.5% of global GHG emissions, with beef and lamb being the most carbon-intensive. Globally, we consume much more meat than is considered sustainable, and switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet could reduce emissions.
- Take shorter showers: Approximately 1.2 trillion gallons of water are used each year in the United States just for showering purposes, and showering takes up about 17% of residential water usage. The amount of water consumed and the energy cost of that consumption are directly related. The less water we use the less energy we use. And the less energy we use, the less of a negative impact we have on the environment.
After reducing your carbon footprint as much as possible, you can then turn to carbon offsets. But with thousands of different offsets and offset companies to choose from, how can we buy carbon offsets that will make a difference?
Purchasing carbon offset projects that are additional, permanent, effective, meet key criteria and project standards, and do not engage in greenwashing can actually make a difference. Climeworks, Terrapass, Gold Standard, and Ecologi are just some of the organizations with the best carbon offset projects.
Final Thoughts
Net zero emissions refers to achieving a balance between the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions we produce and the GHGs we take out of the atmosphere. Essentially, achieving net zero is akin to achieving carbon neutrality, as opposed to actual emissions reduction.
While net zero is the internationally agreed-upon goal for mitigating global warming in the second half of the 21st century, how we go about achieving it is important. We must first reduce emissions as much as possible before relying on carbon offsets only to balance out the remaining emissions.
Despite growing momentum for and support of net zero, we are currently a long way off from achieving it before the 2050 deadline as outlined in the Paris Agreement. Greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to increase rather than decrease in the coming years, which further exacerbates global warming.
One of the easiest and most meaningful ways to contribute to the net zero movement is to reduce your carbon footprint. Small actions add up, such as washing in cold water, switching to renewable energy, or eating less meat.
Stay impactful,
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