Net Zero | Issue 1
Know the jargon
Carbon neutral
Net zero
As businesses rally behind climate action, there’s much talk of reaching ‘carbon neutral’ and ‘net zero’ goals. The terms are often used interchangeably. However, explains Blue Marble’s Tim Kemp, the two mean quite different things
Carbon footprint
Carbon neutral
Key to both terms is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GGP) which sets out how to measure a business’ carbon footprint. Carbon is used as a generic term to represent all greenhouse gases.
What does it mean if an organisation is ‘carbon neutral’? There are different explanations, according to Tim, and they range from quite restricted boundaries to highly ambitious achievements.
‘Think of greenhouses gases in terms of currency,’ says Tim. ‘A tonne of carbon is given a value of one but other gases are far more potent. For instance, one tonne of methane has an equivalent value of 28. This potency is called global warming potential.’
‘You could say an organisation is carbon neutral if the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) it produces is balanced, or offset, by carbon credits,’ he explains. ‘Other definitions go further and require more greenhouse gases to be taken into account.’
The way a company’s carbon footprint is measured is broken down into three scopes – read more about this on page 13 – and each scope is investigated in terms of emissions.
The minimal way of getting to carbon-neutral status involves looking at the emissions listed in Scopes 1 and 2 and offsetting them. However, says Tim, ‘It’s best practice to not just stop at 1 and 2, but to also include the most controllable factors in Scope 3. Once you’ve actively tried to reduce your carbon footprint, any remaining emissions can be balanced or offset by carbon credits.’
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