Net zero
A balance between human-caused emissions and removals, used as a target that may cover CO₂ alone or all greenhouse gases.
Example
A national target might reach net zero by cutting most emissions and removing the remainder through forests or technology.
The catch
Targets that rely heavily on removals or credits can hide slow progress on cutting emissions.
In more depth
Net zero, explained.
Net zero is a destination, so any net-zero claim needs a date, a scope and a route. IPCC AR6 explains the physics behind it. Warming from CO₂ stops rising only when CO₂ emissions reach net zero, while reaching and sustaining net zero across all greenhouse gases, measured with GWP100, would see global temperature peak and then decline slowly.
For companies, credible net zero means deep cuts first. The Science Based Targets initiative requires most emissions across the value chain to be eliminated, with only residual emissions balanced by permanent removals, and it does not count purchased credits as reductions. A target set decades ahead also needs near-term milestones and a funded plan, or the hard decisions pass to future managers.
In the EU, Directive (EU) 2024/825 can treat a claim about future environmental performance, such as a net-zero pledge in marketing, as misleading when no clear, verifiable commitments sit behind it in a detailed implementation plan checked regularly by an independent expert. A business that calls itself net zero today on the strength of purchased credits is describing an offsetting purchase. Before trusting a pledge, check which gases and emission scopes it covers, and whether progress is reported each year against interim targets.