EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NET ZERO

These ‘residual emissions will need to be removed from the atmosphere: either by changing how we use our land so it can absorb more carbon dioxide or by being extracted directly through technologies known as carbon capture, usage, and storage.

What is net-zero?

Net-zero means not adding to the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Achieving it will involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and balancing out any that remain by removing an equivalent amount.

Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) are released when we burn oil, gas, and coal for our homes, factories, and transport. This causes global warming by trapping the sun's energy.

How will carbon be removed from the atmosphere?

Not all emissions can be reduced to zero, so those remaining will have to be compensated for or offset.

Almost every country is planting trees as a cheap way of absorbing carbon, although there are questions over whether there's enough space for the trees needed.

Technology involving carbon capture and storage has also been suggested.

This involves using machinery to remove carbon from the air, then solidifying it and burying it underground. However, the technology is still emerging, very expensive and as yet unproven.

What changes are needed?

1. resource and energy efficiency, that reduce demand for energy across the economy

2. societal choices that lead to lower demand for carbon-intensive activities

3. extensive electrification, particularly of transport and heating, supported by a major expansion of renewable and other low-carbon power generation

4. development of a hydrogen economy to service demands for some industrial processes, for energy-dense applications in long-distance HGVs and ships, and for electricity and heating in peak periods

5. carbon capture and storage (CCS) in industry, with bioenergy (for GHG removal from the atmosphere), and very likely for hydrogen and electricity production.

It must be vital to the whole of government and to every level of government in the UK. Overall, a well-managed transition can be achieved and lives can be improved. People can benefit from better physical and mental health, an improved environment, and, crucially, reduced exposure to climate risks.

Why net zero by 2050?

There are a few reasons why the target date set by the UK Government is 2050. But it’s important to remember that if we are to reach this target by the middle of this century, considerable changes will need to take place well before that date, and ideally before 2030.

If other countries follow the UK’s lead and reach net zero emissions by 2050, the Committee on Climate Change advises there would be a 50% chance of avoiding a ‘catastrophic’ 1.5°C temperature rise by the year 2100.

The year 2050 was also seen as the first realistic date for net-zero emissions to be achieved, balancing the urgent need to take action with the inevitable impact on the economy.

There are different official carbon targets for different parts of the UK. Scotland, for example, has committed to net zero emissions by 2045, while Wales has aligned with the UK target of 2050 but with ambitions to get there sooner.

The Committee on Climate Change has advised Northern Ireland to cut carbon emissions by at least 82% by 2050, after noting that the country’s agricultural emissions would likely prevent it from reaching net zero in the next 30 years.

Is net-zero by 2050 possible?

It is a bold target that will require significant changes within the next 10 years (not just by 2050) if the UK is to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to ‘net zero’ by the middle of the century. But according to figures released in March 2021, our emissions have already reduced by 48.8% from 1990 levels (although the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions from transport and industry in 2020).

If we put aside the impact of Covid-19 for a moment, this reduction is largely due to changing the way we generate energy. However, we will also need to change the way we use energy in our lives.

The Committee on Climate Change maintains we will be able to reach this target using ‘currently known’ technologies. But it will also require clear and consistent policies to reduce emissions, alongside changes in people’s lives.

This graph shows you how much we need to reduce emissions in different areas to reach net-zero by 2050. As you can see, there is a long way to go.