What does it mean to be carbon neutral?

What does ‘carbon neutral’ mean and why should you care?

In discussions around climate change and energy, phrases like carbon neutral and net zero come up a lot. Here’s why.

First, we need to understand carbon footprints. These measure the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by an industry, person, business etc. The ‘footprint’ they leave when they operate.

A carbon neutral footprint, or carbon neutrality, means that industry, person or business has achieved net zero.

Net zero means that for every carbon emission produced during operations, an equivalent amount of carbon emissions have been removed or offset.

Saying ‘we’re carbon neutral’ is a great marketing claim, but true carbon neutrality is not easy to achieve or straightforward to measure.

That’s why partnerships with certification agencies like Climate Active have been created in partnership with the Australian Government and Aussie businesses to make sure businesses are on the right track.

For example, company Cooper Energy recently became the first Australian gas producer to be awarded Climate Active certification, meaning its operations have been certified to be carbon neutral, representing a great step towards a cleaner energy future.

Interested in learning about how the natural gas industry is contributing to cleaner energy? Check out How Natural Gas Can Help Reduce Emissions.