Put simply, net zero refers to reaching net zero carbon emissions. But the important thing is that this doesn’t really mean cutting emissions down to zero. In many industries, carbon-free alternatives simply aren’t practical, or even possible, which would make zero emissions incredibly difficult as things stand.
What it really means – in practical terms – is achieving an overall balance between the CO2 released into the atmosphere, and the CO2 taken out of the atmosphere.
It’s inevitable a certain amount of CO2 will be released through human activity, but we can balance this by taking an equal amount out of the atmosphere, through carbon capture, absorption or offsetting, for example.
As a result, the CO2 levels in the atmosphere will remain the same – this is called net zero.
To help us understand the concept, scientists often use the analogy of a bath.
If you turn on the tap, water is added to the bath; if you take out the plug, water is taken away. The level of the water in the bath depends on the balance between the volume of water going in, and the volume going out. If this is equal, the level of the bath water will not change.