Over the past century, the average surface temperature of the Earth has been increasing sharply. Left unchecked, this will lead to rising sea levels, extreme weather events and heavier precipitation, with catastrophic consequences for affected populations.
This temperature increase is 'very likely' due to the surge in greenhouse gas concentrations (GHG) arising from human activities1.
The carbon footprint is the quantity of greenhouse gas produced by human activities.
It can be broken down by source of emissions at the global, regional, company and individual level (see graph to the right2). Electricity and heat generation are the largest GHG-emitting sectors accounting for 24.6% of all GHG emissions.
Carbon neutrality is the reduction of our net carbon emissions to zero, i.e. erasing our carbon footprint. How is that possible? This is a theoretical concept, since we cannot carry out our daily activities without emitting greenhouse gases (e.g. CO2 or CH4). However, once we have measured our emissions and found ways to reduce them, the next step is to help others to reduce theirs and claim that reduction.
That second step is also called offseting emissions. In practice, to claim an offset, one has to finance a project from third party sources that results in emission reductions, thus generating carbon credits. For one to claim carbon neutrality, the number of carbon credits generated or purchased has to match one's emissions for a given period of time. Such projects are setup and run under the auspices of the UN Kyoto protocol, whereby investors finance companies in countries such as China, India, Brazil or Mexico to modernize dirty plants or set up clean energy generation sources.
Here is how an organization can become carbon neutral:
A growing number of corporations and public sector organizations have committed to becoming carbon neutral. (1) Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 4th assessment, 2007
(2) Source: World Resources Institute. For a much more detailed picture of sectors, uses and GHG emitted, click here.
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