Net Zero literally means reaching zero carbon emissions, or as close to zero as possible. It means civilization must drastically reduce the number of greenhouse gases it releases into the atmosphere.
Scientific data has clearly shown that the global temperature is increasing at a significant rate which is contributing to climate change.
Since the industrial revolution of the 1800’s carbon dioxide has been pumped into the earth’s atmosphere at a rate not seen before. The United States, China and the Western Union have been the biggest contributors, but many other countries are also big emitters such as Russia, India and Brazil.
The Global temperature has increased by 1.1°C since pre-industrial times. To preserve a livable planet, global temperatures need to be limited to no more than 1.5 °C – this forms the basis of the Paris Agreement – to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2035 and to Net Zero by 2050.
More than 70 countries have signed up for the Paris agreement. Thousands of cities, businesses, educational and financial institutions are working hard to reduce their emissions in line with science-based targets and contribute to the Net Zero target.
Are we on track to reach Net Zero by 2050 – No we are not, Governments are not doing enough. The Glasgow Climate Pact called on all countries to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) by the end of 2022, but only 24 new or updated climate plans were submitted by September 2022.
The UK government is committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Last year the government published a Net Zero Strategy, setting out a pathway to meeting these targets.
Since then, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other global factors have fundamentally changed the economic landscape in the UK, placing huge pressure on households and business through high energy prices and broader inflationary pressures.
The government has set out decisive action to support people and businesses with their energy bills, and to tackle the root causes of the issues in the UK energy market through increased supply – ensuring the country is not left in the same position again.
Reaching net zero means tackling all sources of emissions – and heating for homes and workspaces makes up almost a third of all UK carbon emissions. So we will improve the energy efficiency of housing and non-domestic properties across the UK, ensuring they require less energy to heat, making them cheaper to run and more comfortable to live and work in while reducing our dependence on imported energy. (Net Zero Strategy)
The UK has some of the oldest and most inefficient housing stock in Europe. Housing is responsible for 22% of the UKs carbon emissions, by retrofitting homes we are reducing their carbon emissions and supporting the UK Governments Net Zero Target.