World leaders committed to reaching ‘net-zero’ at the COP26 climate summit. Here’s what it means to achieve net-zero emissions.
Net-zero emissions: An introduction
In conversations around climate conversion, ‘net-zero’ and ‘global net-zero’ are common terms. While they seem similar, they are not. Net-zero is the balance between the number of greenhouse gases produced and the number of greenhouse gases being removed from the atmosphere. Hence, we will reach net-zero carbon emissions when our carbon production and removal are equal.
However, ‘Global net-zero’ is a new concept. According to it, developed nations need to shoulder the burden of emission reduction more than developing nations do. This is because developed countries have gained a lot more in the past. India took the lead in figuring out the outcome before the Quad meetings. Unfortunately, nations have not reached a definite timeline for reaching net-zero. Hence, asking developed nations to take the weight off the developing nations is a far-fetched dream.
COP26: The world’s last best chance
The COP26 climate summit is our “last best chance” for changing things according to John Kerry, the co-architect of the Paris deal. “Glasgow will be extremely important. In fact, I would say that in my judgment, it is the last best chance the world has to come together to do the things we need to do to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,” stated Biden’s climate envoy. “Three years ago, we were told we have 12 years to avoid those consequences. Three of those years were lost because we had Donald Trump, who didn’t believe in any of it. And now we have nine years left to try to do what science is telling us we need to do,” said Kerry.
As of now, China is the biggest carbon polluter, followed by the United States. However, the data on historical analysis of carbon emission is lacking. Additionally, this recent IPCC report shows that reaching net-zero emissions is crucial in stabilizing temperatures across the world. The IPCC also reveals that any other option that does not involve reducing carbon emissions to zero will not stand against climate change.