The world is aiming for net zero emissions by 2050. That’s what it means

but what does that mean? What is included? Why is this so important? Here’s a closer look.

What are net zero emissions?

It means that we too no longer added Greenhouse gases which cause greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Some greenhouse gases can still be emitted, but this can be offset or “offset” by removing an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases. (This is very similar to carbon neutrality, but includes more than carbon dioxide.)

Some experts, including the United Nations, take the definition of net zero a step further. in a videoThe United Nations describes it as to cut Emissions as close to zero as possible. “All remaining emissions must be reabsorbed, including by healthy oceans and forests.” (More on this later).

Watch | A UN video outlines its definition of “net zero”:

What is the role of net zero in international climate negotiations?

Countries that have signed Paris Agreement 2015 on climate change They meet in Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 summit from October 31 to November 12. The stated purpose of the first meeting This is “a global net zero that is safe by the middle of the century and keeps 1.5 degrees close at hand.”

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 196 countries pledged to limit global warming to less than 2 ° C – and preferably less than 1.5 ° C – compared to pre-industrial times. This means reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

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Treaty of Paris This in itself does not include the term “net zero”, but indicates that to achieve this temperature target, parties must reduce emissions “to balance anthropogenic emissions by source and emissions by sinks of greenhouse gases. in the second half of the century ”.

Several signatories, including Canada, have introduced or announced new net zero plans.

Why is it so important to reach net zero?

This is the only way to stop climate change. As long as greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere, the global average temperature will continue to rise.

Jason Dion, director of mitigation at the Canadian Institute for Climate Options, a government-funded think tank, said, “When we hit zero… we don’t make climate change worse. “

Why is 2050 the “deadline” for reaching net zero?

As necessary to keep the rise in temperatures below 1.5 ° C, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has modeled different scenarios to meet the Paris targets, and in every way. simpler to reach 1.5 ° C would force the world to reduce its emissions. to 45% below 2010 levels by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.

This means that if we do not reach net zero by 2050, “we will lose this window [of opportunity] Stay below two or 1.5 degrees by the turn of the century, said Jennifer Allen, a Canadian lecturer at Cardiff University in the UK.

Modeling by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows impacts ranging from droughts to sea level rise to species extinction Much worse if the temperature rises more than 2 ° C.

Why aim for net zero rather than completely eliminating greenhouse gas emissions?

It is very difficult to eliminate some of the emissions from sectors that meet the needs of an industrialized society, such as cement, steel, fertilizers and agricultural food production. “This is an area where it’s hard to reach zero with today’s technology and it’s even predictable,” Dion said.

The idea is that once emissions are reduced as much as possible (eg through power generation and transportation), “residual” emissions from the atmosphere can be converted into “carbon sinks”. It can be natural, such as forests, wetlands or oceans, or the carbon can be transferred using technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

Does net zero mean that we can continue to emit the same amount of greenhouse gases as long as we remove the same amount?

In theory, yes.

said Alan, who is also a writer and editor of the Land Negotiations Bulletin of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, an online publication focused on United Nations negotiations on environment and development. “Some people are concerned that this could be used to justify increasing emissions or maintaining normal activities and then planting a lot of trees.”

But in practice, Alan, the United Nations and many others say it is important First, reduce emissions as much as possible. that is why Very limited decarbonization options at present.

Natural options like planting trees are not a permanent solution.

“I’m from British Columbia, we see forest fires,” Alan said, adding that when they do occur, “all the carbon dioxide that has been absorbed is released into the atmosphere.” All emissions “aborted” by planting this forest, he said, are now new emissions rather than net zero emissions.

Watch | Antigonish, NS, aims to be the first zero net community in Canada:

Dion says wildfires, droughts and insect outbreaks that can release carbon from trees are actually exacerbated by climate change – but that’s no reason to be pessimistic about natural removal carbon. It just means it’s something we should be wary of [about] Relying on it plays an important role.

Meanwhile, carbon capture and storage technologies cannot remove carbon on a large scale. According to the International Energy Agency, the capacity of carbon capture facilities around the world has been 40 megatonnes per year by 2020. This means, at most, that they can only remove 0.13% of the 30,600 megatonnes The world was resurrected that year, according to the International Energy Agency.

How committed is Canada to achieving net zero by 2050?

Canada is committed to achieving its goal of net zero emissions by 2050 by The latest climate target submitted to the United Nations under the Paris Agreement in July. The federal government’s Net Zero Emissions Accountability Act, which came into effect in June, requires the government to set interim emission reduction targets and plans every five years beginning in 2030. The plans should also explain how they will help Canada achieve net zero by 2030. year 2050.

Watch | Liberals unveil their net zero emissions plan:

Liberals unveil their net zero emissions plan

The federal government has announced plans to reduce Canada’s net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 in an effort to meet climate change targets, but some fear the plan lacks accountability. 2:02

By law, the government also created a Net-Zero Advisory Group of 14 experts to “advise the government and consult with Canadians on the most efficient and effective means of achieving this goal.”

What must happen to Canada and the world to achieve the net zero goal?

A report by the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, co-authored by Dionne, found that there is Different Pathways Canada Can Take to Achieve Net Zero Emissions, using a combination of different strategies, such as unreleased energy, bioenergy, energy efficiency and land use change.

However, he said the current problem is that Canada’s climate plan has so far only looked to the future until 2030. “There is a gap between 2030 and 2050.”

Canadian Net-Zero Advisory Board We see that the plans tend to reach net zero “It starts now, uses the carbon budget as a key tool, and raises its ambitions to keep the 2050 target afloat.”

Allan says it’s important all over the world. “If we have any hope of reaching net zero by 2050, we have to start tomorrow and we need a short-term plan and immediate action.”