Net Zero is often described as the answer to halting climate change and has become a much more common phrase over the last couple of years. This article will take you through some of the basics when it comes to understanding how the term net zero is used, what it describes and the challenges around making this target a reality.
What is net zero?
Net zero essentially means ensuring there is a balance between the amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere and the amount of carbon that’s removed from it. This balance will happen when we remove more carbon from the atmosphere than we put in.
Net zero is different to carbon neutral. Carbon neutral can be achieved by offsetting the amount of carbon produced (such as by a home or business). In comparison, net zero means reducing carbon emissions as much as possible, then offsetting whatever carbon is ‘left over.’
Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is an essential step in the net zero process, as burning oil, gas and coal for transport and industry produces a vast amount of greenhouse gases. High levels of methane are produced by farming and the amount of waste lingering in landfill, and rapid deforestation across the globe means fewer carbon sequestering trees and plants are able to absorb the harmful carbon dioxide we’re creating.
Reaching net zero is a big challenge, as emissions need to be cut across a range of industries and sectors. Agriculture, transport, industry and individual homes will all need to cut emissions drastically to make net zero happen. In some sectors, such as aviation, it will be impossible to cut emissions altogether, which is where offsetting will come in.
What does offsetting look like in practice?
As we’ve described above, the carbon produced by certain industries will be too complex to reduce to zero. Where this is the case, the carbon produced can be offset by other measures. One example is planting trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Many companies (particularly in the aviation sector) now offer customers the ability to offset the carbon created by their purchase, by buying an ‘offsetting package.’ For example, Heathrow airport offers a carbon offsetting service, which includes tree planting and the restoration of peat bogs (another vital carbon storage facility) and oil giant BP runs a Target Neutral programme which includes a range of offsetting projects, such as protecting forests in Brazil.
It’s not unusual to see large-scale producers of carbon emissions like oil, gas and aviation companies touting offsetting as the answer to the climate crisis. To be cynical about it, the approach of offsetting (eg. decreasing the impact of emissions once they’re already in the atmosphere) allows companies like this to carry on producing large amounts of carbon with the promise that they will offset them in the future. However, many in the sustainability sector would argue that prevention is better than cure and we should be aiming to reduce emissions in the first place, rather than try to tackle the problem by removing emissions once they’ve already entered the atmosphere.
How did we get here?
It’s clear that we’re living in a time of climate crisis. Scientific evidence has shown us that we have to act now if we’re going to mitigate some of the most disastrous effects of climate change. The science has also shown us that this crisis is a result of human activity; emissions of greenhouse gases are causing our climate to change.
Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. Although it’s not the only greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is the most significant. To address the increasing volume of carbon in the atmosphere, in 2019 the UK Government passed legislation committing to net zero by 2050. In practice, this means reducing carbon by 100% based on 1990 levels, by the middle of this century.
Why 2050?
There are several reasons the UK Government have opted for 2050 as their target for reducing emissions to net zero. If other countries follow this benchmark, the Climate Change Committee have suggested there would be a 50% chance of avoiding a 1.5°C rise in global temperatures by 2100. The year 2050 is also seen as a realistic date to make net zero happen, balancing the need to reduce emissions with the inevitable impact this will have on the economy and the time it will take to make infrastructural changes in a variety of industries.
Different parts of the UK also have different net zero targets. The Scottish Government have committed to net zero by 2045, whilst the Welsh Government have committed to the 2050 target but aim to get there sooner.
There are issues with the 2050 target, however. It’s an ambitious proposal, and to have any chance of meeting it we’ll need to make significant changes by 2030. The carbon produced by heating, energy, aviation, agriculture and transport will have to change dramatically to make net zero in 2050 a reality.
Beyond this, there are concerns about how countries will measure their progress towards the 2050 target and whether this will hide the reality of carbon emissions globally. For example, there are schemes that allow richer countries to offset their emissions by paying poorer countries to switch to cleaner fuels, which could allow these richer countries to avoid reducing their own fossil fuel usage.
Importing products from different countries also means that some countries may be able to reduce their own emissions (for example by closing down carbon-producing industries such as steel manufacturing), but will import replacement goods from overseas, essentially offsetting this aspect of their carbon emissions to a different country.
How are the UK Government planning on getting to net zero?
The UK Government have released a strategy aimed at reducing the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. In ‘Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener’ they lay out a road map for how this might be achieved. Some of the measures proposed include:
- £620m in grants for electric vehicles and charging points, plus £350m to help the transition from petrol
- Grants of up to £5,000 for householders to install low-carbon heat pumps
- £120m to develop nuclear reactors
- £625m for tree planting and peat restoration
- More money for carbon capture and storage hubs
The UK Government’s Energy Strategy unveiled in April also details how they intend to address the energy crisis and make energy production more sustainable and renewable in the future.
What part can I play in the push for net zero?
Making net zero a reality needs all of us to get involved and accept that we need to make changes at small and large scales to reduce our carbon emissions in any meaningful way. A net zero future will mean less air travel and less red meat, a shift away from gas to renewable sources of energy and moving away from vehicles that run on petrol and diesel, in favour of those powered by electricity and hydrogen.
Making our homes more energy efficient is one significant way that households can make a dent on carbon emissions. Here are some steps you could take to reduce your emissions:
- Move to renewable sources of energy (such as installing solar or switching to a green energy provider)
- Electrify your heating system (you could consider the UK Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme and switch to a heat pump)
- Make sure your property is as effectively insulated as possible, to reduce unnecessary heat loss and make the most of the energy you’re paying for
- Get smart about how you use energy. Try installing a smart meter or dealing with vampire devices
- Learn more about how you can reduce the amount of energy you use at home. Check out our advice pages for some ways to get started.
- Switch to an electric vehicle, make better use of public transport or consider an electric bike
- Consider these six key lifestyle changes identified as part of research into tackling the climate crisis
How does Severn Wye’s work relate to net zero?
Our Sustainable Home Energy team work with people experiencing fuel poverty and those who want to make their homes more energy efficient. They promote the uptake and understanding of retrofit and support households to make the way they use energy more sustainable, including providing advice and guidance on renewable sources of energy. The more efficient a property is, the less carbon will leak into the atmosphere and the more we are able as a nation to move our energy production and consumption to renewable sources, the likelier we are to reach our net zero targets.
Our Sustainable Organisations team work with businesses and organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. They promote the use of renewable technologies and on-site energy production as one solution to making businesses (and the way they use energy) more sustainable. Over the past year, we have facilitated access to more than £4 million in grant funding for renewable technologies via our Target2030 programme, that offers 30% grant funding and free energy surveys to SMEs in Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.
Our Sustainable Technologies team contribute to Research and Development studies that are exploring the future of renewable energy, particularly making bio-energy work in the real world. Our Mersey Biochar project aims to develop a community-owned carbon capture energy solution that support the local community, woodland and forestry industry. To meet the UK Government’s net zero targets, developing carbon capture technology (ways of holding and storing carbon to prevent it entering the atmosphere) is essential. The project makes use of local biowaste materials and captures carbon in two ways, through the production of solid biochar (a charcoal that can be used as a soil conditioner and be added to animal feed in order to reduce methane emissions) and flue gas, which can be used to heat local homes.
Our Sustainable Communities team work with communities to support them in becoming sustainable, through holistic, place-based regeneration plans that help them to build on their strengths and culture, creating a lasting, self-sustaining future. To meet net zero targets, it is vital for us all to change our lifestyles to reduce carbon emissions and to reframe our expectations of economic growth, in order to work within the limitations (and opportunities) of our natural environment. This is what our Sustainable Communities work is all about, developing more sustainable, circular economies in rural areas whose local economies have been decimated in favour of centralised, unstable ‘boom’ economies.
If all of this has got you thinking and you want to know more about how you can reduce your carbon emissions, why not get in touch with our friendly adviceline? If you’re based in Gloucestershire or South Gloucestershire, call us for free on 0800 500 3076. In Herefordshire, you can call us for free on 0800 677 1432.
For a range of advice and support with saving energy at home, as well as alternative ways of getting in touch with our Sustainable Home Energy team, check out our websites. For Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, click here. For Herefordshire, the link you need is here.
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