Saving Our Planet: Net-Zero Carbon

Saving Our Planet: Net-Zero Carbon Emission

Bernice Ho

Imagine not being able to go out most of the time due to oppressive heat waves. Would you be annoyed, depressed, or perhaps frustrated? We are going to experience this if we don’t make a change in our behaviour now! Recognising this urgency: over fifty countries, including the world’s largest emitters, China and the United States, have communicated the “net-zero emissions targets,”. On top of that, hundreds more regions, cities and businesses have set targets of their own. We hope for a better world in the future so that our next generation can have a healthy and sustainable living.

This article explains the goal of balancing between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out as well as the science behind it.

What is net zero carbon emissions?

‘Net zero emissions’ refers to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced and taken out of the atmosphere. Think of it like a set of scales: producing GHG emissions tips the scales, and we want to get those scales back into balance with no new GHG being released into the atmosphere in any given year. Eventually, we will probably need to tip them the other way to repair the damages made in the past as well.

Here’s the upside of getting to net zero: we can still produce some GHG as long as they are offset by processes that reduce GHG already in the atmosphere (this is called sequestration). For example, these could be things like drawdown technologies such as direct air capture and storage. In contrast to a gross-zero target that aims to reduce carbon emissions from all sources homogeneously to zero, a netzero emissions target is a lot more realistic because it allows for some residual emissions. These are emissions produced by “hard-to-treat” sectors where emission abatement is exorbitant. These residual emissions are permitted as long as they are offset by gross negative emissions, achieved by removing emissions using natural or engineered sinks.

Illustration by Bethany Kerr

Why is net zero carbon emissions important?

Net zero carbon emissions are important as it is the best way to mitigate the negative impact of climate change and global warming. Climate change isn’t a tap that we can turn off once we stop using fossil fuels. GHG like carbon dioxide still stays in the atmosphere and continues to heat up the earth for years after years. Its continued presence is why reducing GHG emissions is hugely important. The end goal is to balance the scales again and restore the global climate to pre-climate change levels.

In the Paris Agreement, governments agreed to keep global warming ‘well below’ 2 degrees Celsius and ‘make efforts’ to keep it below 1.5ºC. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report in October 2018 on the 1.5ºC target; it concluded that global carbon emissions should reach net zero around mid-century to give a reasonable chance of limiting warming to 1.5ºC.

Is the net zero carbon emissions goal achievable?

Yes, the world can reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but we need to make significant changes. In particular, our energy systems will need to be totally transformed. There must be substantial declines in the use of coal, oil and gas. By 2050, almost 90% of the electricity produced globally will need to come from renewable sources, such as solar and wind. Increased spending on electric vehicles, clean energy infrastructure, transforming industrial processes, and more efficient buildings will also be crucial. (More details will be discussed in the “What measures need to be taken?” section).

By adopting the above measures, we should be able to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Experts say this could reduce the chances of extreme heat waves, droughts, and floods by the end of the century. There are implications for food supplies, livelihoods and biodiversity across the world.

What is the timeline to reach net zero carbon emissions?

Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to limit warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F), ideally to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees F). Under today’s 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming, some places face the problems of devastating heat waves, melting glaciers, and intense typhoons. This signals the urgency of minimizing temperature increases.

The latest science suggests that reaching the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals will require reaching net-zero emissions on the following timeline: Scenario 1: limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — carbon dioxide emissions need to reach net zero by 2044-2052, and total GHG emissions must reach net zero by 2063-68;

Scenario 2: limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius — carbon dioxide emissions need to reach net zero by 2070-2085, and total GHG emissions must reach net zero by the end of the century or beyond. .

Figure 1: Timeline to net-zero emission goal https://www.wri.org/insights/net-zero-ghg-emissionsquestions-answered

The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), found that if the world reaches net-zero emissions by 2040, the chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is considerably higher. The sooner emissions peak, the lower they are at that point, and it will be more realistic in achieving the net zero target. This would also create less reliance on carbon removal in the second half of the century.

What measures need to be taken?

Illustration by Ethan Lan

Making the 2020s the decade of 1 massive clean energy expansion - All the technologies needed to achieve the deep cuts in global emissions by 2030 already exist, and the policies that can drive their deployment have already been proven. As the world continues to deal with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is extremely important that the resulting wave of investment and spending to support economic recovery is aligned with the net zero pathway.

Policies should be strengthened to speed up the deployment of clean and efficient energy technologies. Standards are vital to drive consumer spending and industry investment into the most efficient technologies. Targets and competitive auctions can enable wind and solar energies to accelerate the electricity sector transition. Fossil fuel subsidy phase-outs, carbon pricing, and other market reforms can ensure appropriate price signals. Policies should limit the use of certain fuels and technologies, such as unabated coal-fired power stations, gas boilers, and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.

Governments must lead the planning and incentivising of the massive infrastructure investment, including smart transmission and distribution grids.

Figure 2: Shows what our capacity addition of solar photovoltaics and wind should look like if we stay in the net zero pathway. https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

Figure 3: Shows what the number of electric car sales in 2030 should look like if we follow the net zero pathway https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

Use more hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels 2 to fill the gaps where electricity cannot easily replace fossil fuels and limited sustainable bioenergy supplies cannot cope with. This includes using hydrogen-based fuels for ships and planes, and using hydrogen in heavy industries such as in the steel and chemical industries.

Figure 4: shows the increasing amount of hydrogen fuels in different areas (e.g. buildings, industries, transportation and electricity) by 2050 https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

Business Strategy integration

3Like any important business initiative, an organization’s decarbonization efforts should be fully integrated into its existing business strategy. Getting started will require climate intelligence on topics such as: • Benchmarking competitive actions and goals • Climate reporting and disclosures • Customers’ and other stakeholders’ expectations • Annual GHG inventory Cumulatively, these pieces of information can help the companies clearly articulate their business case for action, which needs to be supported by emissions data and shared in the language of most stakeholders.

Another starting point is conducting a climate risk assessment and disclosing it to investors. The most common climate risk reporting framework is the TCFD framework, which refers to the recommendations set forth by the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures on how and what to report as part of climate risk.

Underpinning all of these efforts is a need for robust climate understanding and stakeholder education. A “climate boot camp” for stakeholders may include topics such as definitions of common climate commitments, high watermark activities of leaders, a crash course in GHG accounting and identification of the organization’s climate risks and opportunities.

These are all just examples of what we could do to help improve the environment and stay in the pathway to net zero emissions.

Climate change is slowly destroying our habitat and our homes. We need to take action now to prevent irreversible damages. Net zero carbon emissions goal is very important in building a sustainable, green world. Lots of countries have started multiple schemes to move in the right direction to achieve this goal. Thanks to the efforts made by governments and scientists, the concept of reducing greenhouse gas emission in the air by burning less fossil fuels, using less private cars etc has been promoted. We must unite to save our planet. Hopefully, by 2050, we should be able to achieve our net zero emission goal.

Figure 5: Steps to achieving Net Zero Carbon goal https://cundallconversations.com/2020/03/26/step-by-step-how-to-achieve-a-net-zero-building/

Conclusion

Bibliography

[1] What Does “Net-Zero Emissions’’ Mean? 8 Common Questions, Answered https://www.wri.org/insights/net-zero-ghgemissions-questions-answered

[2] WHAT DOES NET ZERO EMISSIONS MEAN? https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/ what-does-net-zero-emissions-mean/

[3] What does net zero mean? https://www.greenbiz.com/article/what-does-netzero-mean

[4] WHAT DOES NET ZERO EMISSIONS MEAN? https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/ what-does-net-zero-emissions-mean/

[5]Net zero: why is it necessary? https://eciu.net/analysis/briefings/net-zero/netzero-why

[6]Are net zero emissions by 2050 possible? Yes, says IEA https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/05/netzero-emissions-2050-iea/

[7]What Does “Net-Zero Emissions” Mean? 8 Common Questions, Answered https://www.wri.org/insights/net-zero-ghgemissions-questions-answered

[8]SPECIAL REPORTGlobal Warming of 1.5 ºC https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

[9]Net Zero by 2050 https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

[10]Net Zero by 2050 https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

[11]Journey to zero: 4 key action areas to achieve net-zero emissions https://www.greenbiz.com/article/journey-zero-4key-action-areas-achieve-net-zero-emissions

[12]Journey to zero: 4 key action areas to achieve net-zero emissions https://www.greenbiz.com/article/journey-zero-4key-action-areas-achieve-net-zero-emissions

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