Why ‘net zero’ carbon targets may not be enough to tackle climate change? 

GS Paper 3

Topics Covered: Conservation related issues. 

Context: 

Independent charitable organisation Oxfam has said that ‘net zero’ carbon targets that many countries have announced may be a “dangerous distraction” from the priority of cutting carbon emissions. 

Why so? 

1. The report says that if the challenge of change is tackled only by way of planting more trees, then about 1.6 billion hectares of new forests would be required to remove the world’s excess carbon emissions by the year 2050. 
2. Also, such land-hungry ‘net zero’ schemes could force an 80 per cent rise in global food prices and more hunger while allowing rich nations and corporates to continue “dirty business-as-usual.” 

What needs to be done then? 

To limit global warming below 1.5°C and to prevent irreversible damage from climate change, the world needs to collectively be on track and should aim to cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 from 2010 levels, with the sharpest being made by the biggest emitters. 

Which countries have announced net-zero targets? 

1. In 2019, the New Zealand government passed the Zero Carbon Act, which committed the country to zero carbon emissions by 2050. 
2. The UK’s parliament passed legislation requiring the government to reduce the UK’s net emissions of greenhouse gases by 100 per cent. 
3. US president Joe Biden announced that the country will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. 
4. World War Zero was launched in 2019 to bring together unlikely allies on climate change and with the goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions in the country by 2050. 
5. The European Union plan “Fit for 55”, the European Commission has asked all of its 27 member countries to cut emissions by 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. 
6. China announced that it would become net-zero by the year 2060 and that it would not allow its emissions to peak beyond what they are in 2030. 

What about India? 

India, the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, after the US and China, is the only major player holding out.

• India has been arguing that instead of opening up a parallel discussion on net-zero targets outside of the Paris Agreement framework, countries must focus on delivering on what they have already promised. 

India’s concerns: 

Over the next two to three decades, India’s emissions are likely to grow at the fastest pace in the world, as it presses for higher growth to pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. No amount of afforestation or reforestation would be able to compensate for the increased emissions. Most of the carbon removal technologies right now are either unreliable or very expensive. 

What does net-zero mean? 

Net-zero, which is also referred to as carbon-neutrality, does not mean that a country would bring down its emissions to zero. That would be gross-zero, which means reaching a state where there are no emissions at all, a scenario hard to comprehend. 

• Basically, net-zero is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorption and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. 

Insta Curious: 

Know what Blue Carbon , Black Carbon and Brown Carbon is? Read Here

InstaLinks: 

Prelims Link: 

1. About the Climate Leaders’ Summit. 
2. What is net-zero? 
3. Countries committed to net-zero. 
4. About Paris Agreement. 

Mains Link: 

Discuss the significance of carbon sinks. 

Sources: Indian Express.