As delegates gather in Dubai at the COP28 climate conference — with the aim to ratchet up ambition towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement — a key component of these efforts are countries’ pledges to achieve net-zero emissions around mid-century.
Net-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions refers to a balance between CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere and CO₂ removals from the atmosphere, such that the net effect on CO₂ levels in the atmosphere is zero. It is often assumed that if such a balance is achieved, the net effect on climate would also be zero.
