carbon dioxide has been emitted into the atmosphere at increased rates many years ago. In 2019, it was at a 50% increase in carbon dioxide emissions when compared to the late 18th century. Carbon dioxide can be taken out of the atmosphere by processes that remove it either through increasing biological carbon sinks, that include plants, that absorb it from the atmosphere, as the Earth’s forests remove 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 every year. On the other hand, we can use chemical cleaning procedures that capture CO2 directly from the air or the industrial, energy, and transport sectors then storing the captured CO2 underground or in concrete substances.
Carbon neutrality means that the amount of CO2 emissions produced by humans is equal to the amount CO2 removed by humans in a specific time period. Carbon neutrality could also refer to being zero net carbon, meaning that there would be no increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This doesn’t mean that we can’t add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, but it means that if any amount of CO2 is added to the air, the same amount must be removed.
The International Panel on Climate Change has made the warning that the world needs to be carbon neutral by 2050 to avoid a dangerous climate crisis, which would mean that we need to switch to green economy and using clean renewable energy with the reabsorption of any remaining emissions. If nations continue to emit carbon emissions that are causing climate change, temperatures will continue to rise beyond the 1.5 degees celsius compared to pre-mid 19th century, before the industrial revolution. These new temperatures will be life threatening to humans and their livelihoods worldwide, which is why an increasing number of nations have vowed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
