MILAN, Italy ¨C Net-zero commitments are all the rage.
Countries, companies and others worldwide have committed to eliminating their net greenhouse-gas emissions by a particular date ¡ª for some, as early as 2030. But net-zero targets are not tantamount to limiting global warming to the Paris climate agreement¡¯s goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius ¡ª or any particular level of warming, for that matter. It is the path to net-zero emissions that makes all the difference.
This is well understood among experts. A 2021 report by the International Energy Agency, for example, charts a detailed path, divided into five-year intervals, toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 ¡ª and giving the world ¡°an even chance of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 C.¡± The most striking feature of this analysis, at least to me, is the magnitude of the decline that is required by 2030: roughly 8 billion tons of fossil-fuel-based emissions, taking us from the 34 gigatons of carbon dioxide today to 26 gigatons .
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.