Net Zero target has started to flash in the sustainability agenda of nearly every company. They have begun to set short-term and long-term targets to achieve net zero by 2050 and keep global temperature below 1.5 degrees C. The recent reports during the COP26 conference have warned about the upcoming crises and have suggested an accelerated decrease in emission in order to curb climate change. According to the report, the GHG emission must be halved by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030. But what exactly are Net Zero Emissions and how can it be achieved?

Net-Zero Emission

Achieving Net Zero means bringing a balance between the excess carbon that is emitted due to human activities and its equivalent that is sequestered by the atmosphere. The countries around the world agreed to the same by signing the Paris Agreement. There are two possible ways in order to achieve net zero:

1. Reducing at the source: Reducing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission at the source before it even gets into the atmosphere is the key and impactful solution. This is done by zooming in into the contributors of greenhouse gas emissions like electricity production, industry, food, agriculture and land use, transportation, etc.
2. Supporting the sinks: The sinks work by absorbing the emitted carbon from the atmosphere and utilizing it for their daily requirements like photosynthesis or storing it underground. On one hand, nature�s carbon cycles are like forests and oceans absorb the emissions mainly in the form of CO2. On the other hand, some man-made sinks like Direct Air Capture and Storage (DAC+S) capture CO2 directly from air and store it permanently underground in the form of rocks.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

Under the Paris Agreement, countries around the world have pledged to cut their emissions in order to maintain the global average temperature below 2 degree C, ideally below 1.5 degree C. But with the current mercury level reaching 1.1 degree C, the climate impacts like cyclones, droughts, melting of ice and heat waves are becoming evident.