Terms like ‘carbon neutral’, ‘net zero’ or ‘climate positive’ are being used regularly (and interchangeably) by many organizations. However, the lack of clarity between these terms can mislead (well-intended) consumers or even lead to consumers not trusting such claims. In contrast, more clarity about these terms encourages organizations to have a more proactive approach and be more transparent. Since we are currently not on track to limit global warming to 1,5 degrees Celsius, this is absolutely necessary. Good to know: the EU is now working on a regulation to set clear boundaries on the use of these terms. So in this article, let’s dive into what they really mean.
Carbon neutral
Carbon neutral means that all CO2 released into the atmosphere by an activity is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed. I.e., CO2 released – CO2 removed = 0. Mind you, carbon neutral only accounts for CO2 emissions, not other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
There are two options to balance out the emissions released into the atmosphere: reducing the carbon emissions to net zero (see below) or offsetting (compensating for) the carbon emissions (see our previous blog post on why offsetting is not always the solution).
Less than half of the consumers knows the difference between carbon neutrality and carbon offsetting. Many people think that carbon offsetting means a 100% compensation of CO2 emissions, but this is not necessarily the case. In fact, to fulfill the claim ‘carbon compensation’, an organization does not need to fully balance out the emissions. Only when it claims ‘carbon neutrality’ can we be confident that the sum of CO2 emissions is actually zero. But even then, it is not necessarily guaranteed that the absolute amount of CO2 emissions actually decreases, because this depends on the type of offsetting. This explains why ‘carbon reduction’, i.e. limiting the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere, is so important.
Net zero
Net zero means that the total amount of GHG released into the atmosphere is balanced out by the total amount of GHG emissions removed from the atmosphere. This sounds similar to carbon neutrality, right? However, there are a few differences.
The first difference is the type of emissions. Carbon neutrality is in fact equal to net zero carbon emissions, but it is not the same as net zero emissions, which covers the all GHG emissions. Therefore, it is crucial to specify ‘net zero carbon’ or ‘net zero emissions’.
Furthermore, net zero goes a step further than carbon neutrality. Where carbon neutrality is focused on balancing out the emissions through offsetting, net zero means that an organization cuts their GHG emissions (across its whole value chain) to as close to zero as possible. Any remaining emissions can be reabsorbed from the atmosphere, for instance by forests and oceans. The idea is that with net zero, no emissions need to be offset.
The science shows clearly that in order to limit global warming to 1,5 degrees Celsius, emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. 2050 might seem far away to you, but transitioning to a net zero world is not an easy task. In fact, it is said to be one of the greatest challenges humankind has faced. We have to completely transform our energy systems, production processes, consumption behaviors and how we move.
Climate positive
Climate positive (also called ‘carbon negative’) goes even further than net zero, as it refers to removing more CO2 emissions from the atmosphere than what you actually emit. I.e., CO2 released – CO2 removed < 0. When this is the case, you can say that the organization has a negative amount of CO2 emissions and therefore positively impacts the climate. Note that we here again talk about CO2 and not GHG emissions.
To become climate positive, an organization needs to understand exactly what its carbon footprint is, across the whole value chain. This means calculating scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions. This is exactly what we at Salacia excel at. The EU aims to become the first carbon neutral continent. Now you know what that means and what your next action should be: calculate and reduce your carbon footprint. We are happy to help you with this. Reach out to us and we will tell you more about what we can do for you!
