I EXPECT by now you will have heard the phrase ‘Net Zero, Carbon,’ but what on earth does it mean? 

Basically it means adding no more carbon (Co2) into the atmosphere than is escaping and by 2050 to have reached Net zero. 

In other words, adding no more than what’s being absorbed naturally, bringing it into balance. The big question to answer is why?

The two gases that cause the most global warming are: Methane and Carbon Dioxide. This is the real science, and not wishful thinking: 

Methane is 30 times worse than Co2 as a warming gas. But it breaks down in the atmosphere with oxygen and is nearly all gone in 30 years’ time, if not added to; although some of it converts to Co2 in the process. Methane is from natural gas; rotting food and vegetation and out of the back and front of every biological animal and human. 

Carbon dioxide on the other hand does not break down the same way and has to be absorbed into the rocks and oceans and trees; a small amount escape from planet Earth into outer space.

This process takes a very long time which means that every bit of Co2 we put out now, adds to what’s already there from the last 170 years of burning fossil fuels. And that’s on top of the natural Co2 out-putt from volcanoes. 

As a simple example if Co2 is 420 ppm now and we put out 50 ppm in just a few years, it will now be 470 ppm or just less as nothing has changed and we are simply adding to what’s already stored up. 

This is why it is so important to stop adding to the build-up. Therefore, Net Zero equal adding nothing to the air at all until what’s put out is the same as what’s absorbed. And we may want to be less than that to reduce the global warming.

The following is a simple chart of how Co2 gets dispersed:  in 30 to 40  years’ time, if nothing was added in that time, the Co2 would go down about 50% from the present 420 ppm to 210 ppm. 

In 100* years’ time it would go down an extra 30% to 147 ppm, but the bad news is that even in 1000* years’ time around 105 ppm would still be in the atmosphere. The rest would take tens of thousands of years to go completely. 

The issue to take on board is – as the Co2 goes down so slowly, in the short to medium term it may as well not be going down at all, as we are adding so much right now. 

The reality is, the world will not be able to cut much Co2 output, and certainly not get to net zero by 2050 as we are completely off track. 

And all the time we are adding to the Co2, which is only dispersing very slowly.  So we are now in the situation of adding to the historical 170 years’ worth of output and just making it worse. 

I hope after that explanation you can see why Net Zero is needed. The world will be putting out some Co2 for the foreseeable future, so the quicker we get to net zero and stop the rise, will be the better. 

We may need to go minus net zero to have less Co2, this would reduce the warming effect. 

* Long-term effects are still being researched  and maybe better or worse.