COP26: What does Net Zero mean?

COP26 is all about climate change. The UK target is being referred to as Net Zero - but what does that actually mean? And How are we going to get there?
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With COP26 days away, you will be hearing a lot of jargon surrounding the summit and goals that the UN has implemented on to world leaders.

The term Net Zero has been thrown around a lot in recent weeks, particularly by UK governing bodies.

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‘Net Zero’ means emitting and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere in equal amounts.

The idea for these targets comes after the 2015 COP summit in which 200 countries signed the Paris Agreement.

The countries involved are legally bound to keep global warming levels below 1.5C. Net Zero is the strategy for ensuring this happens.

What is the UK Net Zero Strategy?

The Government recently released its long-awaited net zero strategy. The strategy outlined the steps the UK will take in order to achieve its target of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

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While certain industries like travel will struggle to not produce greenhouse gases, there are new technologies that will remove the gases from the atmosphere.

Additionally, other sectors will be remodelled to offset the carbon emissions produced by other industries.

The strategy was laid out by the government on October 19. Some key policies included in the outline included ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

As well as promising to make the UK powered by clean electricity only by 2035.

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As of next year homeowners will be able to get grants of up to £5,000 to replace current gas boilers with eco-friendly alternatives. Farmers will also be offered incentives to apply low-carbon methods to their farming.

With all of this the government has said the transition to a greener country will create thousands of jobs and create new sectors. All in the name of becoming “world leader in zero emission fight”.

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