What is Carbon Neutral and Net-Zero?
Definition
A carbon footprint equal to zero after accounting for emissions trading.
Example used in a sentence
Amazon committed to being carbon neutral by 2040 according to their climate pledge.
Why is this definition important?
When it comes to climate pledges and commitments, this is what most organizations are committing to. Essentially, the commitments signify that an organization will invest in projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere using both mandatory and voluntary carbon markets where you can purchase carbon offsets. Although a positive step in curbing climate change, there are a few problems with these commitments, which highlight the importance of understanding what this term means. First, carbon is not the only greenhouse gas and targeting carbon neutral doesn’t account for other gasses such as methane and nitrous oxide. Second, carbon offset standards and marketplaces are infant in their maturity which call to question the validity of some offset projects, these questions have led to a number of greenwashing claims. Last, the practice of purchasing carbon offsets could unfairly favor large organizations with vast resources and financing capabilities.
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Note: This is a working definition that was developed using internal research methods and analysis and was published after undergoing the Pike Origin Peer Review Process.