Discussion
Human society at this moment in early 2020 still can reach Net Zero: "Net zero" refers to achieving an overall balance between emissions produced and emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Like a bath with the taps on, an approach to achieving this balance can be either to turn down the taps (the emissions) or to drain an equal amount down the plug (removals of emissions from the atmosphere, including storage for the emissions such as "carbon sinks"). In contrast to a gross-zero target, which would reduce emissions from all sources uniformly to zero, a net-zero emissions target is more realistic because it allows for some residual emissions. These are emissions produced by "hard-to-treat" sectors where emission abatement is prohibitively expensive. These residual emissions are allowed as long as they are offset by gross negative emissions, achieved by removing emissions using natural or engineered sinks. A situation of net-zero emissions then occurs when the gross negative emissions match the gross positive emissions. https://www.greenbiz.com/article/what-does-net-zero-mean This conversation takes up this world-wide effort put forward in the Paris Climate Agreement. It is the already-in-action global effort.
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