“Sustainable,” “eco-friendly,” “environment-safe”—these and more are terms that we often hear when we talk about the positive ways to quell the worsening climate change. Then, we are often told to reduce, reuse, recycle, plant more trees, pick up the trash on the floor, and many more practices that can collectively speed up climate action.
These are unfailing ways that we can help our suffering planet. But, now more than ever, we are urged to ‘quantum leap to climate neutrality.’ What does the term “climate neutrality” mean and how can we reach it?
What is “climate neutrality?”
Climate neutrality refers to the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Normally, at this time and day, one might think that it sounds impossible to “reach net zero emissions” but this simply means that emissions are balanced in a way that emissions are equal to or less than the emissions removed. This way, there is assurance that our emissions have no net effect on our climate.
It was in 2015 that the “Climate Neutral Now” initiative was implemented by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This initiative was launched to encourage and support organizations and nations to achieve net zero emissions by 2050; a goal also enclosed in the Paris Agreement.
Naturally, it must be a collective goal not only as individuals but as nations to help reach this goal. However, we must first understand what exactly are GHG emissions and why they hinder our paths to a healthier environment and climate system.
GHG emissions refer to the harmful gasses and substances that damage our atmosphere, leading to its depletion which then causes what we know as “global warming.” The most common GHGs that we often hear (among many others) are carbon dioxide and methane.
With this, an action always forwarded is reduction of carbon footprints. “Carbon footprints” are not literally footprints but are called so because they refer to the GHG emissions that are produced by our daily actions and activities, as if “footprints” that we leave behind.
How can we reach climate neutrality?
An average person, worldwide, is said to produce about four tons of carbon dioxide each year—this includes how we use transportation, consume food, manage air circulation in our houses or buildings, and more activities that potentially emit carbon footprints.
Not only do we contribute individually, large-scale corporations who defy accountability and lack of climate control by the government are huge causes as to why we have not completely paved the way to climate neutrality.
An evidence would be the discussions in the Conference of Parties (COP) 29 last November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where climate justice was given light and developed nations were urged to support vulnerable nations and communities more in the effort to achieve climate neutrality.
In line with this, our carbon footprints should therefore be controlled so as to help save our planet. How do we do this? There are many ways!
You can always start with planning your activities ahead to manage your travel and your time outside the house. It also is ideal to check on the appliances and lights that you use at home and make sure that they are green and environment-safe. It also is best to follow what we always were taught when we were younger—to reduce, reuse, recycle, protect the trees, and conserve water.
Of course, echoing calls for climate justice is crucial in forwarding progressive climate actions without leaving the vulnerable communities behind.
Ako Ang Bukas
You can also be part of a bigger difference through the “Ako Ang Bukas” program! “Ako Ang Bukas” (or “I Am Tomorrow”) is a movement with a central campaign, “Quantum Leap NOW: Climate Neutrality 2050.” It seeks to involve all sectors and levels of society nationwide in taking urgent, concerted action to address the climate crisis facing the country and the world.
This will be the Philippines’ contribution to the global effort to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and to keep the rise in earth temperature within the 1.5°C limit set by climate scientists, beyond which climate change and its worst effects are predicted to become irreversible, putting humanity in real danger of extinction.
The AAB program is also set to launch a carbon footprint calculator, which will be a step forward in controlling and managing our carbon footprints. Several trainings have been convened by the AAB program for corporations and organizations who support the country’s efforts to achieve climate neutrality.