BUT AFTER ALL, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE NEUTRAL IN CARBON?

The concept of zero carbon was born in the Kyoto Protocol, in 1997. At the time, developed countries signed an agreement in which they committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in four years, between 2008 and 2012, using as a basis the levels for the 1990s.

Almost 15 years after the international pact, in 2011, the Climate Conference was held and new goals were outlined, bringing carbon neutralization back to the center of the discussion.

Being “carbon neutral” means that the emissions that an entity produces, (company, organization, individual, product or service) have been balanced, financing the same amount of savings in another part of the world.

Carbon neutralization is an alternative that seeks to avoid the consequences of the imbalance of the greenhouse effect (caused by excess emissions of pollutants such as carbon dioxide), based on a general calculation of carbon emissions.

The goal is that the sum of all greenhouse gases that any entity puts in and takes out of the atmosphere is balanced to zero. For example, for a company to be carbon neutral, all emissions created must be offset by emissions that the company reduces elsewhere in the world.

AND HOW DO COMPANIES BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL?

It’s impossible to get a product or service that doesn’t generate carbon. Therefore, carbon emissions that cannot be avoided can be offset. Carbon compensation can be done by planting native trees or supporting environmental projects. To become carbon neutral, companies must change the way they buy and use energy and reduce their overall emissions.

. What changes can be made? For example:

. Participate in energy efficiency programs

. Use clean energy sources and energy-efficient equipment

. Change the style of interaction with customers

. Choosing electric or hybrid cars for the company

. Increase recycling, etc.

WHY IS CARBON NEUTRALITY IMPORTANT?

The intensification of global warming, largely caused by greenhouse gases, is causing our planet to increase the frequency of extreme climate change: droughts, heat waves, floods, sea level rise, loss of biodiversity, etc. .

Just to give you an idea, the Earth’s temperature has increased by 1°C since the Industrial Revolution, but it could increase even more this century to as much as 5°C.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C – the limit considered safe by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPAC) – it is essential to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This goal is also defined in the Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries.