Everything you need to know about EU’s net-zero target
In this article, I am going to debunk what net-zero actually means and debate whether the world and EU specifically can achieve it.
“Going net-zero”, “reaching carbon neutrality”, “net-zero emissions” — are all related and the same terms for something an entire world needs right now. With more extreme weather conditions, it is becoming clearer every year that drastic action is needed.
That’s why there is such a wonderful thing called Paris Agreement:
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
What the hell is net-zero
If you’ve ever heard of climate change or rather climate crisis due to the state of the world, then you should be familiar with the term “net-zero” target. Still no? No worries, let me explain it to you.
The latest research is clear: to avoid the worst climate disasters, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must decrease by 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.
Spoiler alert: we might need it much sooner.
But reaching net-zero emissions doesn’t exactly mean having no emissions at all. Instead, the goal is to have a “manageable” level of emissions, or in other words, have the amount of GHG the planet can neutralize. Because all that excess CO2 is what causing the warm-up in the first place.
Who pledged so far?
Thankfully, most of the countries in the world realize what’s at stake. In the last couple of years, an increasing number of governments and business leaders have been making commitments to reach net-zero emissions.
At the moment, 137 countries have raised concern about reaching the targets of net-zero, which also includes the world’s largest emitters — China and the United States. However, only 59 of those countries have actually started doing something about it. Current leaders are France, Hungary, Luxembourg, the UK, and New Zealand having the measurable targets established in their laws.
For example, in the UK’s law it is stated — “In its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the UK is committing to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.” The pledge covers at least the following sectors:
- Energy;
- Agriculture;
- Waste Management;
- Land-use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF).
While it is a great achievement, UK accounts for only 0,90% of the global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
At the same time, 26 governments have the net-zero target in their policy document and 17 in their political pledge.
Interestingly enough, the European Union as a single state consisting of 27 countries has put the pledge into their policy document, while not every country within it has done the same.
Thanks to the UN’s Secretary-General pleading with other countries to join the cause, these numbers are increasing rather fast.
Race to the Zero campaign is another way of attracting attention to the goal of reaching carbon neutrality as it reaches beyond just countries: regions, cities, businesses, investors, and civil societies all around the globe are lining up to submit plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 before the United Nations climate negotiations (COP 26) in Glasgow in November 2021.
Will it affect me?
If you are still wondering whether climate change, environmental disasters, or your government promising a carbon-neutral future are going to affect your life, here is a short answer 👇
It is quite simple really. Here are a few things that might happen if your country is not serious enough about the pledge:
- Your country will stay dependant on fossil fuels while the rest of the world advances. That prohibits your access to new technology like electrical vehicles, renewable, and safer energy sources.
- The economy will continue running on exploitation practices and instead of sustainable & innovative solutions, you will only be able to stick to the “traditional” ways.
- You would keep contributing to the climate crisis, rising sea levels, unpredictable and extreme weather, and huge loss of biodiversity
- Your kids and future generations will simply suffer from the same issues you do right now
I may not be an expert on the subject, but in my opinion, it is common sense to be cooperating with others to prevent something that can affect the whole world 🤷🏻♂️
What can I do to help?
Become the change!
I know, it sounds very corny.
But there are quite a few things you can do to help the world and your country transition to being carbon neutral. The most obvious one is personal — analyze your own impact on the environment (how much you drive, where your food comes from, how was that pretty dress manufactured, etc.). Everything we do practically emits CO2.
You can literally take every single item in your house and think “What impact does it have on the environment?”. It’s a tedious amount of research and takes quite a time to become aware of all the factors, but it is definitely worth doing. And you can always start small.
However, switching to a plastic-free soap is not going to be enough. It’s the governments that set the net-zero goals. So it should be them who enables a massive scale decrease in CO2 emissions.
Talk to your local city council representatives. Reach out to the parliament/ government of your country. Chances are you have someone in there who belongs to a green party or who just genuinely cares about the environment. Email, message, call them. Spam, if needed.
You have the power to influence their decisions:
- Suggest a legislation review or addition, if you have the expertise;
- Create a crowdfunding campaign or a petition for a local cause to show that people care and share the results with the chosen official ;
- Participate in marches, demonstrations, and gatherings related to environmental causes like Fridays for Future (do follow your local Covid guidelines though);
- Get creative with social media trends to attract the attention of the right people;
Not sure still? Bring it up to your friends and family and brainstorm together. There are a million ways you can help each other and your community.
Are we going to make it?
That’s a tough one.
There are 3 things you need to know:
1. There are many factors at play.
So many things are affecting our environment, both man-made and natural.
On the natural side, everything is interconnected — you destroy the reefs in your area, which leads to loss of biodiversity and jellyfish infestation, making the area more vulnerable to tsunamis and floods. And what destroyed the reef, might be causing so much more around the globe at the same time.
2. We keep making it worse.
Goals were set, but we won’t achieve them on time. The latest IPCC report was released on August 9th, 2021 and it’s not looking great. Here are two major takeaways:
- Humans are responsible for the climate crisis (duh).
- Even if we stop emitting CO2 entirely, the temperatures will keep rising for another 3 decades. Meaning the planet will most definitely reach a 1.5°C increase in global temperatures. Meaning, whatever floods, storms, wildfires you heard about this summer will be getting worse with each year.
3. There is still hope.
Nature has a wonderful ability to heal itself in time. As long as we don’t interfere.
We as humans have also evolved enough to be able to help the environment. Creating green and blue zones to preserve nature, switching to renewable energy and circular economy, and coming up with crazy and innovative solutions are all within our abilities. (By the way, check out the UpLink initiative in collaboration with The World Economic Forum for cool innovations).
As of now, the EU countries show the most promising results with actionable laws, environmental awareness of the population, and the ability of citizens to influence the decision-making process.
It is also important to note that countries like Norway and Netherlands are hugely successful partly due to the population size: 5.3 million people in Norway (2019) vs. 328.2 million people in the USA (2019).
It’s still totally possible to reach the net-zero. The question is when and how much people are willing to help. We got the means and interest in improving the life around us.
— Roman Pikalenko
Thanks for reading this article! Leave a comment below if you have any questions.
If you liked this article, you might enjoy my first blog post:
Roman Pikalenko is a self-starter in digital marketing and blogging. He is an aspiring individual with ambitions and a passion for sustainable growth and development. As a recent BBA graduate, he is seeking his niche and is open to opportunities life throws at him.
