Menu
Net Zero refers to Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, such as CO2 or methane.
It does not mean emitting no GHGs – the key term here is net. It is the balance between GHGs released in the air and those removed from the atmosphere.
The IPCC defines carbon neutrality as Net Zero CO2 emissions. When carbon dioxide is the only GHG considered, the two concepts are equivalent. Instead, when considering all GHGs (including methane for example), using the carbon neutral term is not correct.
Also, based on how you work towards zero CO2 emissions, carbon offsetting is measured differently. The PAS 2060 Standard highlights carbon neutrality allows any kind of carbon offset scheme, while Net Zero is more restrictive and has to demonstrate emissions reductions.
A report from the University of Oxford suggests a variety of greenhouse gas removal strategies which may be applied to meet the UK 2050 targets:
So the technical definitions can be confusing and applied slightly differently depending on the organisation.
To put it more simply, to achieve net zero, your company must balance its emissions as well as demonstrate reductions. To achieve Carbon Neutral however, you can just purchase offsets.
Think of the atmosphere as your bank account and GHGs as money.
“Money in” would be the GHGs entering your account, while “money out” are the GHGs leaving your balance.
You reach Net Zero when you break even, i.e. your overall “income” (GHGs emitted) and “expenses” (GHGs removed) are the same.
| Term | Meaning | How is it different to Net Zero? |
|---|---|---|
| Net Zero | Balance between release into and removal from the atmosphere of GHGs | – |
| Net Zero emissions | See Net Zero | – |
| Net Zero CO2 emissions | Balance between release into and removal from the atmosphere | Refers to CO2 only – not all GHGs |
| Zero Carbon | No CO2 emissions released | This is a more ambitious target than Net Zero as it does not allow to balance out the emissions released with those removed |
| Zero Emission | See Zero Carbon | – |
| Carbon Neutral | See Net Zero CO2 emissions | – |
| Climate Neutral | See Net Zero CO2 emissions. This concept also includes local human activities (e.g. aviation) emitting other GHGs | – |
| Carbon Negative | CO2 emissions removed from the atmosphere are larger than those emitted | Unlike Net Zero, which implies breaking even, this term implies a negative balance |
| Carbon Positive | See Carbon Negative | – |
| Climate Positive | See Carbon Negative | – |
Net Zero targets were introduced by the Paris agreement in 2015 to keep the global average temperature well below 2 (ideally 1.5) °C.
196 countries committed to achieve a neutral GHGs balance as soon as possible (by 2050 at the latest).
National governments delegated the implementation of targets at a subnational level, involving regions, cities, and businesses. For example, in the UK Glasgow has set a Net Zero target of 2030, while the UK’s total target is 2050.
Moving from words to actions, let’s look at the goals’ deadlines set down so far by some actors involved.
| Location | Type | Target Year | Status/reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Country | 2050 | Approved law |
| Canada | Country | 2050 | Draft law |
| France | Country | 2050 | Approved law |
| Scotland | Country | 2045 | Approved law |
| Germany | Country | 2050 | Approved law |
| Brazil | Country | 2060 | Submission to UN |
| China | Country | 2060 | Statement of intent |
| South Africa | Country | 2050 | Policy position |
| United States of America | Country | 2050 | Statement of intent |
| Bristol | City | 2030 | Pledge |
| Belfast | City | 2050 | Climate Plan |
| London | City | 2030 | Statement of intent |
| Glasgow | City | 2030 | Council recommendation |
| Liverpool | City | 2040 | Roadmap development |
| Edinburgh | City | 2030 | Short window improvement plan |
| Manchester | City | 2038 | Climate Change Action Plan |
| Leeds | City Region | 2038 | Energy Strategy and Delivery Plan |
| Sheffield | City Region | 2040 | Energy Strategy |
| Cardiff | Capital Region | 2050 | Energy Vision |
Platforms such as The Carbon Trust or SME Climate Hub can help your business become a net zero emissions company, as can we!
The Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) divides city-level emissions into three scopes depending upon where they were generated.
To make life easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Science Based Targets (SBTi) allows them to submit emission targets for scopes 1 and 2 only.
So, how do business owners submit their targets to SBTi?
In practice, there are a number of actions you can take to get you started.
Unless you’re a solo entrepreneur, encourage your staff to do their part in some of the following initiatives:
Also, you can reduce your premises’ carbon footprint by adopting these solutions:
Curb the carbon emissions of the equipment you use as suggested below:
Besides the relatively simple steps above mentioned, you could adopt more sophisticated on-site clean energy technologies.
For instance, you could install solar panels on your roof along with a storage battery. Doing so, you can use the surplus renewable energy produced when it’s cloudy and become more and more independent from the national grid.
Hopefully, after reading this article Net Zero will not just be a buzzword for you and the targets to achieve will be less daunting.
As a business owner, you can set reasonable milestones by implementing the recommended steps above and rely on associations and local authorities to walk along your Net Zero journey.
Answer a few questions and get an estimated carbon footprint of your business in 2 minutes.
Join our Hero platform to get a free and simple Carbon Reduction Plan for your small business so you can start acting in less than 10 minutes.
