Carbon Neutralization

Carbon neutralization is essential in our fight against climate change; it gives the world a plan, a simple goal that might help save our world. On the surface, it seems only beneficial—a win-win you could say. However, while the goal of achieving carbon neutrality has benefits, we would be wise to acknowledge potential drawbacks as well. One obvious one concerns countries with large populations living below the poverty line; the goal of carbon neutrality could severely affect developing countries and their communities, a reality that has seen countless companies exploiting this goal for personal gains. With this, a straightforward question arises: Truly, how effective and realistic is the goal of carbon neutrality?

Carbon neutralization refers to the goal of reaching a zero carbon footprint, which is accomplished through investing in renewable energy, efficiency, and other clean, low-carbon sources. In addition to these renewable energies, there have been efforts to offset the amount of carbon within our atmosphere, including planting trees or researching on and building carbon captures. The goal of limiting carbon output in recent years has become one of the top priorities for the world, as it provides one of the best shots at mitigating the long-term effects of climate change. Currently, 145 countries aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and these nations are using many resources and strategies to try and achieve this goal. Sweden is one example, as its government proposed a plan of reducing all carbon emissions by 59% by 2045 and has started this plan by investing large amounts of money into renewable energy. This has proved to be successful, as more than 50% of their electricity production has come from hydropower, and efforts to increase the amount of wind power has seen the production of energy go from 0.5 TerraWatts per hour to 27.6. While the importance of carbon neutralization cannot be denied, these plans have created unintended consequences for communities living within developing countries. 

The bleak effects on developing countries cannot be ignored. As of 2015, developing nations are responsible for 63% of all annual emissions; at first glance, they should be the most targeted, but we should be careful pointing fingers. It is essential to consider that these developing countries require fossil fuels and carbon emissions to sustain their society. Access to fossil fuels means access to affordable energy resources. In short, the concern in developing countries is access rather than efficiency, and this is understandable. Currently, in Africa and Asia, there are 770 million people who don’t have access to electricity at all—not even for basic needs—and this supports the fact that fossil fuels are still needed. Furthermore, the pressure from developed nations for developing nations to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energies has been unjust and unfair.

Because many developing countries rely on fossil fuels to sustain their society and lack the technology and resources to make the transition, switching would drastically affect the economy and even more limited access to electricity. Bala Wunti, the general manager of a Nigerian state-owned oil company, said, “They want all of us, including those of us without food, to carry the burden of transition.” This statement reflects the current and unreasonable nature of forcing developing nations to eliminate their use of fossil fuels. 

Large companies across the globe are also exploiting the goal of carbon neutralization. Corporations have made promises to create bold plans for solving the climate crisis; these aspirations may seem like a good idea at first glance; however, companies make few truly impactful changes to address their goals. For instance, the American agricultural giant Cargill made promises to reach an anti-deforestation target, even receiving praise for doing so; however, their actions on the surface did not reflect their goals, as they continued to buy soybeans from farmers who had played a significant role in the scorn of the Brazilian rainforest. Companies are also finding loopholes within carbon neutrality to continue emitting similar amounts of carbon by purchasing carbon credits. With these, companies can avoid the root of their carbon emissions and continue to delay long-term and effective change. An analysis by Carbon Brief found that 34 of the world’s largest companies have bought enough carbon credits to offset 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide—equivalent to Ethiopia and Kenya's annual emissions combined—effectively allowing companies to continue emitting carbon dioxide at record levels. By exploiting the goals of carbon neutrality, companies are in turn reducing the effectiveness of these goals and are making false promises to the world. 

There are various ways that we can improve on the idea of carbon neutralization. While the concept can be a danger to the economy and growth of developing nations, by getting low-GDP countries to invest more in renewable energies, they can maintain growth while becoming more carbon-neutral. Governments need to work closely with private companies to achieve a net-zero target because almost all renewables come from private companies; policies that incentivize renewable energy investments and tax breaks can help speed up the process. What’s more, by shifting workers from fossil fuel industries into renewable energy industries, a successful transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a clean economy can occur. There are also ways to ensure companies don’t create false claims and genuinely create long-lasting change; enforcing stricter regulations on the claims that companies make for carbon neutralization might ensure that their claims aren’t misleading and are in fact realistic. Forcing companies to state transport data regarding their carbon emissions and reduction strategies is also a way to ensure the most precise picture is provided to the public. 

Carbon neutralization plays a pivotal role in the fight against climate change. This broad concept helps us build a viable path forward, along with goals for society to follow in order to reach a sustainable future. However, though it has many derived benefits, the challenges should never be overlooked, and this is especially true for developing nations. Without a smooth transition towards a renewable-based society, developing countries will fall behind even further, with even the basic necessity of electricity becoming scarce for millions—a phenomenon that places additional stress on education and production, further damaging economies and development potential. Meanwhile, companies need stricter regulations to ensure they are following through with their climate goals. By working towards these aspirations, we can ensure that the effectiveness of carbon neutralization, along with all of its benefits, is maximized; with a clear path of solutions, we can ensure that our society's future is a renewable one.