Climate neutral, net zero and climate positive – what’s the difference?

February 17, 2022
Climate Huddle

Net zero is one of the hottest topics in the climate action space. It’s become synonymous with our best hope for tackling the worst impacts of climate change, and governments, cities, companies, and investors are all making net zero commitments. But how is net zero different from being climate neutral? Or being climate positive? We’ve got the answers for you in this simple guide to big concepts.

Climate neutral: the journey begins

Climate neutrality means an organisation has ‘neutralised’ its greenhouse gas emissions by buying an equivalent number of carbon credits. There’s no ‘official’ definition (unlike net zero, which is comprehensively defined by the Science Based Targets Initiative) but in general, it means that you’ve offset your emissions. Climate neutrality can only be claimed...

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