Net zero, zero carbon, carbon neutral – these are all terms that we’ve heard, and probably used at some point, but currently they’re often used somewhat interchangeably, and confusion can arise. Our usage begs the question – “What do they actually mean?” “Are we using them correctly?” and “Could we be inadvertently greenwashing?”

We hope to demystify these terms below, firstly by defining them, then by taking a closer look at exactly what they mean by delving into some of the pros and cons of the approach that each term describes.

Carbon Neutral

Definition – If something is ‘Carbon Neutral’ it refers to the use of offsetting to ‘balance’ emissions in and emissions out.

Pros – Some organisations use offsetting to balance those emissions that remain when they have minimised their emissions as much as they possibly can.

Cons – Some organisations rely on offsetting and use it in place of any meaningful action to continue ‘business as usual’ – using offsetting to greenwash their way to look like they are acting on climate or meeting climate targets. Not to mention that there are a whole host of additional issues surrounding the effectiveness of offsetting. Looking specifically at tree planting offsets (the most common and popular option) there are issues relating to species mix, monocultures, diseases, pests, wildfires, deforestation, and time to reach maturity, amongst others… all of which have an impact on their ability to sequester the carbon claimed. In essence, offsets often don’t ‘do what they say on the tin’, and it is thought to be more impactful to carbon inset than to offset.

Net Zero

Definition – ‘Net zero’ refers to a state in which we remove an equal amount of CO2 from the atmosphere as we release into it.

Pros – So far, globally, we are not on track to reach the Paris Agreement. Net Zero provides a ‘solution’ so we can apparently continue emitting now and draw down these emissions at a later date using carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Cons – Net Zero is reliant on CCS technologies (such as DACCS and BECCS) that are expensive, not without their own issues, and so far, completely unproven at scale. Recently there has been a shift in language by some industries and governments to using ‘net zero’ targets, which is being hailed as a fix-all solution. As such, they are – watering down their commitments to simply reduce emissions; diverting funding away from proven emission reduction ‘mitigation’ strategies, shifting them towards upscaling CCS; hoping that CCS technologies will come into effect in due course, so they can continue a business-as-usual model now, all of which delays action. If CCS does not scale up rapidly or does not work in the way they are hoping, we will quickly find ourselves in a much worse position, still needing to decarbonise, but now much more quickly, whilst experiencing much greater impacts from unmitigated climate change requiring even greater adaption – and costing far more than mitigating in the first place.

Zero Carbon

Definition – If something is ‘zero carbon’ it means that is does not emit any emissions at all.

Pros – Aiming for zero carbon is more ambitious and means doing everything we can to reduce our emissions and mitigate against climate change. It is the only tried and tested way to limit the effects of climate change.

Cons – Zero carbon could be harder to achieve and relies on a whole-societal shift. Being harder doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t aim for it though.

Why The Carbon Literacy Project is standardising on Zero Carbon

Carbon Literacy is all about doing everything we can to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Carbon Literacy training enables us to use our unique roles in our communities and organisations to locate sources of, and reduce, emissions in novel and impactful ways. As such, zero carbon is the only term that adequately describes what we’re collectively trying to achieve through Carbon Literacy training.

We believe that it is better to set ambitious targets and to fall slightly short, than to aim our sights too low and not fulfil our potential or achieve as much as we otherwise could have:

“Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.” – Les Brown

If you’d like to find out how to engage your people, through Carbon Literacy training, to aim for zero carbon, get in touch.

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• Source: https://carbonliteracy.com/net-zero-carbon-neutral-confusion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=net-zero-carbon-neutral-confusion