Explain Carbon Neutrality, Carbon Negative, Carbon Positive and Their Benefits

Posted by Charles Wilson on October 28th, 2024

An agreement known as the Paris Agreement was made during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference to reduce the consequences of climate change by achieving carbon net zero by the second half of the twenty-first century. Here, we examine the actions being made to achieve a balance that is essential for the generations to come.

Climate change is mostly caused by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). The carbon stored in so-called fossil fuels, including as coal, oil, and natural gas, has been used by humans more and more since the start of the Industrial Revolution. When these fuels are burned, CO2 is emitted. In May 2019, its atmospheric concentration hit a record high of 415 parts per million.

The earth’s surface warms due to the absorption of solar radiation by CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG). More frequent and serve droughts, severe storms and heatwaves, rising sea level, melting glaciers, bio diversities loss, and significant life changes, including climate migration, are just a few of the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming in the ensuring decades.

What is Carbon Net zero?

A zero balance, or zero carbon footprint, is achieved when the same amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere as is taken out by various methods, according to the European Parliament. But what does "carbon footprint" actually mean? A person, organization, service, or product's total GHG emissions are referred to as this.

We can achieve the balance we are discussing in a variety of ways. Producing more CO2 than the world's forests and plants can naturally absorb is the healthiest course of action. Through the process of photosynthesis, these plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen, thereby reducing emissions.

The carbon net zero training online that teaches a practical approach to reporting and estimating carbon footprints. It contains carbon calculation Excel sheets and case studies. The course covers carbon neutrality, offsetting, various emission scopes, and fundamental GHG principles.

In a 2020 speech, UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined the essential elements needed to achieve climate neutrality:

• Establishing an actual international alliance in support of carbon net zero by 2050.
• Coordinating international financial support for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.
• Making significant strides in climate change adaptation and resilience

The Distinctions Among Carbon Neutral, Carbon Negative, and Carbon Positive

We can move on to two related ideas that frequently lead to misunderstandings when employed incorrectly after discussing carbon net zero, or carbon neutral;

Carbon Negative: An activity is said to be carbon negative if it removes more CO2 than it releases, exceeding carbon net zero. Microsoft recently declared that by 2030, it will have zero carbon emissions.

Carbon Positive: When an activity contributes more carbon to the atmosphere than it absorbs or offsets, it is said to be carbon positive and has a detrimental impact on the environment.

What Steps can We take to Become Carbon Neutral?

Reaching carbon net zero by 2050 and keeping global warming to 1.5°C is feasible, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expert group. However, they caution that this goal will require extraordinary social and political transformation. The United Nations recently outlined our short-term goals in a communication:

• To finance the removal of carbon emissions and the creation of low-emission substitutes, including renewable energy, a price for carbon emissions should be established.
• A significant amount of the emissions is caused by new coal-powered power plants, so stop building them.
• Put the onus of the carbon tax on polluters rather than taxpayers.
• Require that the economic risks related to climate change be published.
• Aim for carbon neutrality when making economic and financial decisions.

Explain the Benefits of Reaching Carbon Net Zero

Reaching carbon net zero benefits communicates and society at large in addition to being the means of preventing the worst effect of climate change. Among them are;

• Gains in health and a reduction in pollutants from the environment
• An increase in green employment creation and sustainable economic growth.
• Reduced effects of climate change led to increased food security.
• A reduction in biodiversity loss and an improvement in ocean quality.
• The NGO Carbon Trust claims that businesses can gain immediate advantages from carbon neutrality as well.
• It demonstrates the business's dedication to decarbonization and its aim to make up for any residual effects.
• It enhances the business's green credentials, setting it apart as a brand that cares about the environment.