Carbon neutral, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to
achieving net zero carbon
emissions by balancing a measured amount of
carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying
enough carbon credits to make
up the difference. It is used in the context of carbon dioxide releasing
processes associated with transportation, energy production, and industrial
processes such as production of carbon neutral fuel.
The carbon neutrality concept may be
extended to include other greenhouse gases (GHG) measured in terms of their
carbon dioxide equivalence—the impact a GHG has on the atmosphere expressed in
the equivalent amount of CO2. The term climate neutral
reflects the broader inclusiveness of other greenhouse gases in climate change,
even if CO2 is the most abundant, encompassing other greenhouse
gases regulated by the Kyoto Protocol, namely: methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O),
hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Both
terms are used interchangeably throughout this article.
The best practice for organizations
and individuals seeking carbon neutral status entails reducing and/or avoiding
carbon emissions first so that only unavoidable emissions are offset. Carbon
neutral status is commonly achieved in two ways:
- Balancing carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, with renewable energy that creates a similar amount of useful energy, so that the carbon emissions are compensated, or alternatively using only renewable energies that don't produce any carbon dioxide (also called a post-carbon economy)
- Carbon offsetting by paying others to remove or sequester 100% of the carbon dioxide emitted from the atmosphere – for example by planting trees – or by funding 'carbon projects' that should lead to the prevention of future greenhouse gas emissions, or by buying carbon credits to remove (or 'retire') them through carbon trading. While carbon offsetting is often used alongside energy conservation measures to minimize energy use, the practice is criticized by some.
The concept may be extended to
include other greenhouse gases
measured in terms of their carbon dioxide equivalence. The phrase was the New Oxford American Dictionary's Word Of The Year for 2006.
Process
Carbon, or climate, neutrality is
usually achieved by combining the following steps (although these may vary
depending whether the strategy is implemented by individuals, companies,
organizations, cities, regions, or countries):
Commitment
In the case of individuals,
decision-making is likely to be straightforward, but for more complex set-ups,
it usually requires political leadership at the highest level and wide popular
agreement that the effort is worth making.
Counting
and analyzing
Counting and analyzing the emissions
that need to be eliminated, and the options for doing so, is the most crucial
step in the cycle as it enables setting the priorities for action – from
the products purchased to energy use and transport – and to start
monitoring progress. This can be achieved through a GHG inventory that aims at
answering questions such as:
- Which operations, activities, units should be included?
- Which sources should be included (see section Direct and indirect emissions)?
- Who is responsible for which emissions?
- Which gases should be included?
For individuals, carbon calculators
simplify compiling an inventory. Typically they measure electricity consumption
in kWh, the amount and type of fuel used to heat water and warm the house, and
how many kilometres an individual drives, flies and rides in different
vehicles. Individuals may also set various limits of the system they are
concerned with, e.g. personal GHG emissions, household emissions, or the
company they work for.
There are plenty of carbon
calculators available online, which vary significantly in their usefulness and
the parameters they measure. Some, for example, factor in only cars, aircraft
and household energy use. Others cover household waste or leisure interests as
well. In some circumstances, actually going beyond carbon neutral (usually
after a certain length of time taken to reach carbon breakeven) is an
objective.
Action
In starting to work towards climate
neutrality, businesses and local administrations can make use of an
environmental (or sustainability) management system or EMS . Many local
authorities apply the management system to certain sectors of their
administration or certify their whole operations.
Reduction
One of the strongest arguments for
reducing GHG emissions is that it will often save money. Energy prices across
the world are rising, making it harder to afford to travel, heat and light
homes and factories, and keep a modern economy ticking over. So it is both
common sense and sensible for the climate to use energy as sparingly as
possible. Examples of possible actions to reduce GHG emissions are:
- Limiting energy usage and emissions from transportation (walking, using bicycles or public transport, avoiding flying, using low-energy vehicles), as well as from buildings, equipment, animals and processes.
- Obtaining electricity and other energy from a renewable energy source, either directly by generating it (installing solar panels on the roof for example) or by selecting an approved green energy provider, and by using low-carbon alternative fuels such as sustainable biofuels.
Offsetting
The use of Carbon
offsets aims to neutralize a certain volume
of GHG emissions by funding projects which should cause an equivalent reduction
of GHG emissions somewhere else, such as tree planting. Under the premise
“First reduce what you can, then offset the remainder”, offsetting can be done
by supporting a responsible carbon project, or by buying carbon
offsets or carbon
credits.
Offsetting is sometimes seen as a
charged and contentious issue. For example, James Hansen describes offsets as "modern day indulgences, sold to
an increasingly carbon-conscious public to absolve their climate sins."
Evaluation
and repeating
This phase includes evaluation of
the results and compilation of a list of suggested improvements, with results
documented and reported, so that experience gained of what does (and does not)
work is shared with those who can put it to good use.
Finally, with all that completed,
the cycle starts all over again, only this time incorporating the lessons
learnt. Science and technology move on, regulations become tighter, the
standards people demand go up. So the second cycle will go further than the
first, and the process will continue, each successive phase building on and
improving on what went before.
Being carbon neutral is increasingly
seen as good corporate or state social responsibility and a growing list of
corporations and states are announcing dates for when they intend to become
fully neutral. Events such as the G8 Summit and organizations like the World Bank are also using offset schemes to become carbon neutral.
Artists like The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd have made albums or tours carbon neutral.
Direct and indirect emissions
To be considered carbon neutral, an
organization must reduce its carbon
footprint to zero. Determining what to
include in the carbon footprint depends upon the organization and the standards
they are following.
Generally, direct emissions sources
must be reduced and offset completely, while indirect emissions from purchased
electricity can be reduced with renewable energy purchases.
Direct emissions include all
pollution from manufacturing, company owned vehicles and reimbursed travel,
livestock and any other source that is directly controlled by the owner.
Indirect emissions include all emissions that result from the use or purchase
of a product. For instance, the direct emissions of an airline are all the jet
fuel that is burned, while the indirect emissions include manufacture and
disposal of airplanes, all the electricity used to operate the airline's
office, and the daily emissions from employee travel to and from work. In
another example, the power company has a direct emission of greenhouse gas,
while the office that purchases it considers it an indirect emission.
Simplification of standards and
definitions
Carbon neutral fuels are those that
neither contribute to nor reduce the amount of carbon into the atmosphere.
Before an agency can certify an organization or individual as carbon neutral,
it is important to specify whether indirect emissions are included in the
Carbon Footprint calculation. Most Voluntary Carbon neutral certifiers such as Standard Carbon
in the US, require both direct and indirect sources to be reduced and offset.
As an example, for an organization to be certified carbon neutral by Standard Carbon,
it must offset all direct and indirect emissions from travel by 1 lb CO2e
per passenger mile, and all non-electricity direct emissions 100%. Indirect electrical purchases must be equalized either with
offsets, or renewable energy purchase. This standard differs slightly from the
widely used World Resource Institute and may be easier to calculate and apply.
The World Resource Institute, in
addition to publishing many tables and help aids for calculating carbon
footprints, only requires direct emissions to be reduced and balanced for
carbon neutral status, however there is adequate encouragement to include all
emissions sources. With this accounting, there are essentially two levels of
Carbon neutral: Either all direct and indirect emissions, or only direct
emissions.
Much of the confusion in carbon
neutral standards can be attributed to the number of voluntary carbon standards
which are available. For organizations looking at which carbon offsets to
purchase, knowing which standards are robust, credible in permanent is vital in
choosing the right carbon offsets and projects to get involved in.
voluntary market has his own standard CEB.
In addition companies can purchase Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) which
result from mitigated carbon emissions from approved projects for
voluntary purposes. There are various resources available however to help
companies navigate the often complex carbon offsetting standards maze.
The concept of shared resources also
reduces the volume of carbon a particular organization has to offset, with all
upstream and downstream emissions the responsibility of other organizations or
individuals. If all organizations and individuals were involved then this would
not result in any double accounting.
Regarding terminology in UK and
Ireland, in December 2011 the Advertising Standards Authority (in an ASA
decision which was upheld by its Independent Reviewer, Sir Hayden Phillips)
controversially ruled that no manufactured product can be marketed as
"zero carbon", because carbon was inevitably emitted during its
manufacture. This decision was made in relation to a solar panel system whose
embodied carbon was repaid during 1.2 years of use and it appears to mean that
no buildings or manufactured products can legitimately be described as zero
carbon in its jurisdiction.
Pledges
Being carbon neutral is increasingly
seen as good corporate or state social responsibility and a growing list of
corporations, cities and states are announcing dates for when they intend to
become fully neutral.
Countries
and communities
Several countries have pledged
carbon neutrality, including:
Costa
Rica
The Central American nation of Costa Rica aims to be fully carbon neutral by 2021. In 2004, 46.7% of Costa Rica's primary
energy came from renewable sources, while 94% of its electricity was generated from hydroelectric
power, wind farms and geothermal
energy in 2006. A 3.5% tax on gasoline in the country is used for payments
to compensate landowners for growing trees and protecting forests and its
government is making further plans for reducing emissions from transport,
farming and industry.
Denmark
Samsø island in Denmark is the largest
carbon-neutral settlement on the planet, with a population of 4200, based on
wind-generated electricity and biomass-based district heating. They currently
generate extra wind power and export the electricity to compensate for petro-fueled
vehicles. There are future hopes of using electric or biofuel vehicles.
Maldives
The ex-president
of the Maldives has pledged to make his country
carbon-neutral within a decade by moving to wind and solar energy. The Maldives, a country consisting of very low-lying islands, would be
one of the first countries to be submerged due to sea level
rise. The Maldives presided over the
foundation of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
New
Zealand
Another nation to pledge carbon
neutrality is New Zealand. Its Carbon Neutral Public Sector Initiative aimed to
offset the greenhouse gas emissions of an initial group of six governmental
agencies by 2012. Unavoidable emissions would be offset, primarily through
indigenous forest regeneration projects on conservation land. All 34 public
service agencies also needed to have emission reduction plans in place. The
Carbon Neutral Public Service programme was discontinued in March 2009.
Norway
On April 19, 2007, Prime Minister Jens
Stoltenberg announced to the Labour Party annual
congress that Norway's greenhouse
gas emissions would be cut by 10
percent more than its Kyoto commitment by 2012, and that the government had
agreed to achieve emission cuts of 30% by 2020. He also proposed that Norway
should become carbon neutral by 2050, and called upon other rich countries to
do likewise. This carbon neutrality would be achieved partly by carbon
offsetting, a proposal criticised by Greenpeace, who also called on Norway to take responsibility for the
500m tonnes of emissions caused by its exports of oil and gas. World Wildlife Fund
Norway also believes that the purchase of carbon offsets is unacceptable,
saying 'it is a political stillbirth to believe that China will quietly accept that Norway will buy climate quotas
abroad'. The Norwegian environmental activist Bellona Foundation
believes that the prime minister was forced to act due to pressure from anti-European
Union members of the coalition government, and called the announcement 'visions without
content'. In January 2008 the Norwegian government went a step
further and declared a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. But the government
has not been specific about any plans to reduce emissions at home; the plan is
based on buying carbon offsets from other countries.
Iceland
Iceland is also moving towards
climate neutrality. Over 99% of electricity production and almost 80% of total
energy production comes from hydropower and geothermal. No other nation uses
such a high proportion of renewable energy resources. In February 2008, Costa
Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Norway were the first four countries to join the
Climate Neutral Network, an initiative led by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) to catalyze global action towards low carbon economies and
societies.
Vatican
City
In July 2007, Vatican City announced a plan to become the first carbon-neutral state
in the world, following the politics of the Pope to eliminate global warming. The goal would be reached through the donation of the Vatican Climate Forest
in Hungary. The forest is to be sized to offset the year's carbon
dioxide emissions. However, no trees have actually been planted as of 2008. The company KlimaFa is no longer in existence and hasn't
fulfilled its promises. In November 2008, the city state also installed and put
into operation 2,400 solar panels on the roof of the Paul VI Centre audience
hall.
British
Columbia
In June 2011, the Canadian Province
of British Columbia
announced they had officially become the first provincial/state jurisdiction in
North America to achieve carbon neutrality in public sector operations: every school, hospital, university, Crown corporation, and
government office measured, reported and purchased carbon
offsets on all their 2010 Greenhouse
Gas emissions as required under
legislation. Local Governments across B.C. are also beginning to declare
Carbon Neutrality.
Carbon neutral initiatives
Many initiatives seek to assist
individuals, businesses and states in reducing their carbon footprint or
achieving climate neutrality. These include website neutralization projects
like CO2Stats and, the similar European initiative CO2 neutral website as well as the Climate Neutral Network, Caring for Climate,
and Together campaign.
Certification
Although there is currently no
international certification scheme for carbon or climate neutrality, some
countries have established national certification schemes. Examples include
Norwegian Eco-Lighthouse Program and the Australian government's National
Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS).
Certifications are also available
from the CEB, BSI
(PAS 2060) and The CarbonNeutral Company (CarbonNeutral).
Climate
Neutral Certification
Climate Neutral Certification was
established and trademarked originally through the Climate Neutral Network, an
Oregon based non-profit organization, not to be confused with the UNEP's
Climate Neutral Network. Applications for certification are no longer being
accepted according to the non-profit organization's web site, where the
organization also states it is closing its doors. The first three companies certified as Climate Neutral were
Shaklee corporation, Interface, and Saunders Hotels. Stakeholders in developing and supporting the Climate
Neutral Certification are listed as The Nature Conservancy, Conservation
International, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the U.S EPA. What is unclear is whether the Climate Neutral
certification will be continued by the for-profit consulting firm, Climate
Neutral Business Network, or another non-profit organization in the future.
Climate Neutral Network also
promoted, trademarked, and licensed the brand Climate Cool, for products
certified by the organization's Environmental Review Panel and determined to
achieve net zero climate impact, by reducing and offsetting associated
emissions. The organization's web site promises to transfer the
Climate Cool branding to another non-profit organization, upon closing the
current organization.
In Australia, the government-endorsed
carbon neutral certification is the National
Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS).
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