Carbon Neutrality | zeroCO2 Glossary

Carbon Neutrality

Achieving carbon neutrality means reducing net CO2 emissions to zero, offsetting the emissions that cannot not be reduced by removing the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Goals of carbon neutrality

The European Union has set itself the legally binding goal of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050 through the European Climate Law. This text also sets an intermediate target to reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels;
In 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that China will achieve carbon neutrality before 2060;
President Biden’s US administration presented an updated long-term strategy in November 2021 officially committing to net zero emissions by 2050.

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Carbon neutrality is a state of balance between the emission and absorption of carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. The main natural carbon sinks are soils, forests and oceans. To date, no artificial carbon sink is capable of removing carbon from the atmosphere to the extent needed. To keep global warming within +1.5°C – the threshold defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as ‘safe’ – it is essential to achieve global carbon neutrality by the middle of this century. This goal is also set out in Article 4 of the Paris Agreement.