ONLY ZERO CARBON ONLY ZERO CARBON ONLY ZERO CARBON ON LY ZERO CARBON ONLY ZERO CARBON
What zero carbon means
for climate change education, planning, and policy making
What is carbon neutral?
What is net zero carbon?
We seldom hear about zero carbon. What we hear about is 'carbon neutral' or 'net zero'.
What is net zero carbon?
We seldom hear about zero carbon. What we hear about is 'carbon neutral' or 'net zero'.
Climate change experts such as a 2008 report by the Global Carbon Project, suggest that carbon offsetting can contribute towards climate change mitigation. However these experts are taking a pragmatic approach to mitigation in the hope that this will result in some emissions reductions that may lessen the impacts and may put us on the way slowly towards a zero carbon world.
We are on the very brink of planetary catastrophe - it is far too late for slow improvement.
This approach is the personal voluntary one of small incremental steps towards less emissions. It is too late for this approach and for 25 years the growing environmental organizations and governments have been promoting and educating this personal lifestyle change approach. It has made no difference. Emissions are higher and increasing faster than ever.
To meet the scientific zero carbon requirements we must make radical revolutionary changes in national economies through radical revolutionary political changes. Leading institutions and organizations must lobby for these true zero carbon changes.
The way these terms are being used is very misleading. The only real carbon neutral or net zero is scientific virtual zero + negative carbon.
These terms are both used to mean the same thing.
It is impossible to get anywhere near zero carbon with this approach.
Carbon neutral or net zero carbon emissions is being understood to refer to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 'balancing' a certain measured amount of carbon released with an amount of carbon offsets. This assumes that land use change can be designed to take CO2 out of the carbon cycle. Buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference is even treated as a way to carbon neutral.
This is dangerously misleading. There is no such thing as offsetting carbon emissions over the long term. Radical emergency climate change mitigation now is essential when we look at the fact that today's emissions cause more global warming that will last thousands of years.
The terrestrial carbon cycle recycles land based carbon. While tree planting is highly desirable for environmental benefits it cannot remove carbon from the carbon cycle. The young trees will take up CO2 by photosynthesis from the air as they grow, and will return it to the atmosphere as they shed leaves, decay and die in decades or centuries. Also tree planting itself disturbs the forest floor releasing large amounts of CO2. Our tree planting reforestation practices tends to make artificial forests more vulnerable to spreading forest fires.
What is low carbon?
This is a confusing and potentially dangerous term. We hear of 'low carbon' often but zero carbon hardly ever.
First and foremost it must mean zero industrial carbon emissions.
If low carbon means about a 90% emissions reduction then it makes sense.
First and foremost it must mean zero industrial carbon emissions.
If low carbon means about a 90% emissions reduction then it makes sense.
Lower carbon cannot prevent planetary catastrophe because the carbon still accumulates inn the atmosphere.
There are increasing references to 'zero carbon' these days but too often just as a promotional slogan.
'Low carbon' as the term generally being applied does not work for getting us on the way to zero, because this version of low carbon relies on using fossil fuels more efficiently. We certainly do need to improve conservation and efficiency but that cannot be used as a reason to delay converting the world economy totally off fossil fuels.
- What does zero carbon mean?
- Isn't zero carbon impossible?
- What is low carbon?
- What is net zero?
- What is carbon neutral?
Zero carbon refers to zero carbon dioxide emissions.
It is a scientific term and a scientific reality for climate change mitigation.
If any CO2 is added to the atmosphere stabilization of atmospheric CO2 cannot happen - that is the scientific reality.
In fact we have been adding some carbon to the atmosphere (CO2 and methane) since agricultural civilizations developed. With the industrial revolution that additional carbon started to increase and soon was increasing at an exponential rate.
Isn't actual zero carbon impossible?
It is impossible for us, with our current knowledge, to stop all CO2 emissions from human activities.
For example we have no way at present to stop all CO2 emissions from agriculture.
We can make major reductions in agricultural carbon emissions because today's agriculture is so carbon intensive and carbon emitting.
It is impossible for us, with our current knowledge, to stop all CO2 emissions from human activities.
For example we have no way at present to stop all CO2 emissions from agriculture.
We can make major reductions in agricultural carbon emissions because today's agriculture is so carbon intensive and carbon emitting.
Research shows that organic farming methods are the best for carbon balance.
There is no reason to think that if large resources are applied for research into converting all our carbon sources to zero carbon services and technologies we could not redevelop for a zero carbon world. This is a possibility for the future that we must work towards.
The best that we can achieve with today's knowledge is what the scientists call 'virtual zero' carbon emissions - at least a 90% reduction.
To achieve actual zero carbon in the scientific sense the scientists say we must develop the capacity for 'negative carbon' emissions, meaning we have to extract some CO2 directly out of the air and secure it.
To achieve actual zero carbon in the scientific sense the scientists say we must develop the capacity for 'negative carbon' emissions, meaning we have to extract some CO2 directly out of the air and secure it.
Right now we are planning on leaving it too late. The best proposals are for virtual zero by 2050 and for actual zero after the end of this century.
The net effect of virtual zero carbon and some negative carbon is true zero carbon.
Virtual zero carbon + some Negative carbon = Zero carbon
We know we can do virtual zero carbon (@ 90% reduction of emissions) by converting all fossil fuel energy CO2 sources to zero carbon clean energy and stop deforestation.
For negative carbon the scientists say we must develop 'artificial carbon sinks' the main one being by CO2 air extraction. We have technologies to take CO2 out of the air. They are not being developed because there is no money for it and no profit in it.
For negative carbon the scientists say we must develop 'artificial carbon sinks' the main one being by CO2 air extraction. We have technologies to take CO2 out of the air. They are not being developed because there is no money for it and no profit in it.
What does zero carbon mean?
It means that all industrial sources of CO2 have to be converted to run on zero carbon emitting energies.
