The world goes carbon neutral

The Paris protocol has to take us to a zero-carbon future.

This was the call made by German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks last week at the ministerial roundtable in Bonn, focused on issues related to mitigation before 2020. Several representatives, among others from Marshall Islands, Norway, Grenada, and Colombia on behalf of AILAC, made similar statements and emphasized the need of longer term target and achieving carbon neutrality.

“Carbon neutrality”, sometimes called “net zero carbon emissions” or “fossil-fuel phase-out”, means producing no greenhouse gas emissions, or removing the same amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as is discharged. Therefore, there are two possibilities to achieve this goal: using 100 percent renewable energy or having a high share of renewables and additional technologies that lead to so called negative emissions (like carbon capture and storage).

Some companies, cities and countries already have decided to go carbon neutral. But this is still not enough. The whole world needs to follow the example and what is more - we have to hurry up! The good news is that a phase out of nearly all net greenhouse gas emissions is both technically and economically achievable already by the mid of the century.

Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is ambitious but consistent with what climate scientists are saying: we need to peak global emissions by around 2020 and reduce them to net zero by around mid-century to have a good chance of staying below the globally agreed limit of a 2º Celsius rise in global temperatures,

stresses international environmental lawyer and climate change policy expert, Farhana Yamin.

The goal of carbon neutrality should be explicitly included in the new 2015 global deal to give strong both political and economic signals for a real transformation. Signs of change on different levels have been growing day by day. On Tuesday Germany called for increasing European Union’s reduction goal of 40 per cent for 2030. Yesterday, Denmark passed a new law to reduce its emissions for the same percentage even before 2020, joining thereby Germany. But the most ambitious country in the world is Costa Rica, which aims to be fully “carbon neutral” already by 2021.

What is the key step on the way to zero-carbon future? The answer is quite simple. After a very long and toxic friendship, mankind finally has to take its leave of fossil fuels. Of course, as Chris Wright pointed out yesterday, they are not the only carbon emitters:

But if we do not put fossil fuel phase out as the front and centre of an agreement that leads to net zero emissions, how else are we going to get there?.

This makes simple sense, almost 90 per cent of human carbon dioxide emissions comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. Not only environmentalists and scientists urge to put their era to an end, but also more and more economists. The latter warn of the so called carbon bubble as a result of an over-valuation of oil, coal and gas reserves since two-thirds of them needs to stay underground if we want to achieve the 2° Celsius goal.

This concerns even gave rise to a new international social movement, which has been growing rapidly for the last months. The Fossil Free campaign calls public institutions, local and state governments to divest from fossil fuels. 12 universities and colleges, 26 cities, 2 counties, 27 foundations, 30 religious and 7 other institutions have already committed to do so. Now it is time for the UNFCCC to work on including the carbon neutrality target in the new 2015 global agreement.

Emancipate yourselves from fossil slavery / None but ourselves can free our minds / Have no fear for the fossil industry / ‘Cause none of them can stop the time…

Photo credit: The Elders, Carbon Tracker and Heng Swee Lim via Flickr

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  • Felix123

    Nice and simple explanation of the carbon bubble! Especially liked the inspiring last paragraph. Gave me hope that there’s still a chance :)