What is net-zero?

A brief answer to one of the key questions about climate change: What is net-zero? (Written by Myles Allen, David Biello and George Zaidan)

What is net zero?

We release 55 gigatons of greenhouse gases
into the air every year.

To stop global warming,

we have to get our greenhouse
gas emissions down to zero.

But for every country
to immediately shut down

all greenhouse gas-releasing activities

would be an enormous challenge,

especially since some countries

have built up an economic head start
with no restrictions.

So instead, we can use
an approach called net zero.

Net zero means that for every molecule
of greenhouse gas we put into the air,

we also take one out,

making our net emissions zero.

Net zero requires us
to make big changes today,

use less more efficiently,

and even bigger technological
changes for the future,

like replacing all greenhouse gas-emitting
activities with clean ones.

We'll also have to capture
greenhouse gases from the air

and store them permanently.

And yet, net zero is our best chance
for a sustainable future.

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