{"id":2761,"date":"2022-04-25T10:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-04-25T10:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2022-06-16T10:25:08","modified_gmt":"2022-06-16T10:25:08","slug":"net-zero-emissions-how-can-we-get-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/net-zero-emissions-how-can-we-get-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Net-Zero Emissions: How Can We Get There?"},"content":{"rendered":"
On 22nd April 2021, US President Joe Biden held an unprecedented global summit on climate change, imploring the world to embrace net-zero carbon emissions. As the New York Times put it, it was Biden’s chance to proclaim America\u2019s return to the international effort to prevent the devastating impacts of a warming planet.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Specifically, the United States pledged to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by at least 50 per cent below 2005 levels in the next decade. Ultimately, the target is to phase out carbon emissions by 2050.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A country or company can claim to be net-zero when it is not adding new carbon emissions to the atmosphere. It may still be responsible for some emissions, but they should be balanced out by absorbing an equivalent amount too.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Carbon capture, utilisation and storage<\/a> (CCUS) technology may be needed in industries that cannot stop carbon emission quick enough.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Countries and companies cannot solely rely on reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to stop climate change. In fact, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says global emissions need to reach net-zero around 2050. This would enable us to have a reasonable chance of limiting global warming<\/a> to 1.5\u00baC temperatures.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Almost every country in the world has signed up to the Paris Climate Agreement. It commits each signatory to the IPCC recommendations.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nWhat does net-zero carbon emissions mean?<\/h2>\n