"Faced with the prospect that climate change will drive ever deadlier heat waves, rising seas and crop failures that will menace the global food system, countries, corporations and cities appear to have come up with a plan: net zero.

The concept is simple: starting now, to ensure that by a certain date—usually 2050—they absorb as much carbon dioxide as they emit, thereby achieving carbon neutrality.

But scientists and monitoring groups are growing increasingly alarmed at the slew of vague net-zero pledges that appear to privilege offsets and future technological breakthroughs over short-term emissions cuts."

Patrick Galey reports for Phys.org December 8, 2021. [2]