Oxfam’s report Tightening the Net
Recently a report on climate change was released which said that net zero carbon targets alone may not be enough to tackle climate change.
Oxfam’s ‘Tightening the Net’ report described that the ‘net zero’ carbon targets announced by several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and China, appear to be a deterring factor from the priority to cut carbon emissions.
- ‘Net zero’ emissions are referred to as carbon neutrality. This can be achieved only when anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere over a specified period are balanced through human elimination.
- It is also possible for a country to have negative emissions if absorption and elimination exceed actual emissions (e.g., – Bhutan).
- Some of the strategies to achieve carbon neutrality can be such as – use of renewable energy in the power sector (the largest source of CO2 emissions), carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) etc.
Challenges related to Net Zero goals:
- These allow various nations and corporations to continue polluting.
- Many Net Zero goals are vague and insufficiently defined.
- These goals are completely impossible depending on unproven new technologies or the level of land use (mainly afforestation).
- The total land size required for planned carbon removal could possibly be five times that of the Indian landmass.
Source – The Hindu
