Making Sense of the World’s Climate Targets
Why it’s important to urge our leaders to up their climate commitments.
With the next UN Climate Summit coming up this year, you may hear more about climate targets and commitments and wonder what the many terms describing global climate targets mean. Net zero, carbon neutral, negative emissions, 350 parts per million, zero emissions, Paris agreement, 1.5% aligned, and climate neutral are a few of the terms being bandied about.
Are they different terms for the same thing? And what exactly are we aiming to achieve and by when?
Let me answer some of those questions.
What Do All the Different Climate Target Terms Mean?
The terms mentioned above are similar in that they set targets for the world to aim towards in turning the climate crisis around. However, each one has a different definition. Here they are in order of increasing ambition.
Carbon Neutral: According to Net Zero Climate, this is when a company has produced no net increase in greenhouse gases (GHG) they emit into the atmosphere. They…
