Scientists sound alarm over 'ineffectual' promises made by companies to curb critical issue: 'Dangerous and detrimental'

For years, corporations have aimed for "net zero," the promise that the pollution they release will be balanced by the pollution they prevent. But recently, the effectiveness of this approach has been called into question. A new pledge signed by more than 60 climate experts highlights the problems with net zero and why it may be "ineffectual," as reported by the Guardian.

What's happening?

Scientists from nine countries — including the U.S., the U.K., and Australia — have released a "real zero pledge," according to the Guardian. It was organized by the Lethal Humidity Global Council, which fights against rising temperatures and humidity that can be dangerous or even lethal to humans.

Those rising temperatures are caused by the rising level of pollution in Earth's atmosphere. The pledge claims that carbon offsets used to achieve net zero aren't doing enough to remove pollution, and might even be hindering efforts to get Earth's temperature under control.

"A reliance on carbon offsets without the needed emission reductions is dangerous and detrimental," said Professor Katrin Meissner, per the Guardian. Meissner is the director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales and one of the experts who signed the real zero pledge. "To keep global warming within the guardrails of the Paris Agreement, the timeframe is now so tight that there is no space for companies to use offsetting to continue high-carbon activities. We need to turn the fossil fuel taps off, all of them."

Why is the approach to reducing pollution important?

The rising temperature of the Earth is affecting everyone. Besides the dangerous heat waves and the damage to the environment, it's also causing escalating extreme weather events. To have any hope of undoing this damage, we need to reduce pollution and cool the planet down.

In recent years, carbon credits have become an industry standard for meeting businesses' eco-friendly commitments.

Unfortunately, it's not working. Not only have some carbon credits turned out to be ineffective or sometimes even fraudulent, but the entire system has been called into question. Critics point out that it seems to just be giving big polluters license to pollute more in exchange for dubious future reductions — not to mention that the favorite activity of planting trees is a temporary measure. When the trees die, that captured carbon will eventually be released into the atmosphere again.

What's being done about the concerns?

The real zero pledge signatories called for an end to corporations' polluting activities. They said the "only path that can prevent further escalation of climate impacts" is "real zero" and not "net zero," per the Guardian. Hopefully, policymakers will listen to the voices of the experts. You can help by voting for climate-friendly candidates and using your voice more broadly.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.