Sustainability and Decarbonization: What Language Are We Speaking?

Contributed by: Jan Burian

Scientists, politicians, journalists, and other influencers often toss around terms like renewable energy, emissions-free, and decarbonization. For those not well versed in environmental, energy, or sustainability topics, use of these terms may lead to confusion or even cause one to be misinformed. 
 
A key example: COP28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference held at the end of 2023, culminated in a declaration that commits nations to transition away from “all fossil fuels to enable the world to reach net zero by 2050.” 
 
What is “Net Zero”? 
Pursuing net zero does not mean that businesses are trying to reduce all the greenhouse gases (GHGs) they emit to absolute zero, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and other hydrofluorocarbons. Rather, it refers to the offsetting of emissions to achieve an overall emissions balance of zero. 
 
Most CO2 emissions stem from the burning of oil, gas, and coal. These sources remain necessary to produce energy-intensive products such as fertilizers, petroleum, primary metals, and cement. Investing in carbon sinks that absorb CO2 is one way that businesses can offset the amount of emissions produced across their supply chains. 
 
The oil industry is a key player in the net zero movement. Representatives of the industry often make enthusiastic statements about the progress they are making on the journey to decarbonize the global economy. 
 
But with global demand for oil and gas projected to grow in the coming years, the question arises: Is the net zero strategy mostly public relations — an attempt by the industry to greenwash itself? 
 
Oil companies may be sincere in their intention to help the world transition from fossil fuels to renewables — but the jury is still out on whether the use of EVs, green hydrogen, and biofuels will lead to the complete phase-out of fossil fuels. 
 
Sustainability 
Sustainability is a priority interest for many organizations, and this is especially true at EPA. Sustainability isn’t part of our work - it’s a guiding influence for all of our work. - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  
 
Environmental sustainability refers to responsible interaction with the environment to ensure that current actions do not lead to environmental collapse and compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability encompasses principles and practices aimed at conserving natural resources, protecting ecosystems, and limiting environmental degradation. 
 
Key components include: 

• Conservation of Natural Resources: This entails using resources such as water, forests, minerals, and biodiversity in a manner that ensures their availability for future generations. Conservation may include sustainable management practices, reducing resource consumption, and promoting recycling and reuse. 
• Protection of Ecosystems: Ecosystems provide essential services such as clean air, water purification, climate regulation, and habitat for biodiversity. Environmental sustainability aims to protect and restore ecosystems to maintain their integrity and functioning.
• Reduction of Pollution and Waste: Minimizing pollution and waste generation limits harm to human health and the environment. Efforts include reducing emissions of GHGs and pollutants, implementing waste reduction and recycling programs, and adopting cleaner production technologies.
• Renewable Energy/Sustainable Practices: Transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power is essential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate climate change. Sustainable practices in agriculture, transportation, urban planning, and industry play a crucial role. 

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT: Exclusive Highlights from the Methane Mitigation Summit Series

Clean Energy  
Annual clean energy investments in emerging and developing economies will need to more than triple to 2.8 trillion USD by the early 2030s to meet rising energy needs and align with the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. - Sustainable Energy For All 
 
Clean energy technologies aim to mitigate climate change by reducing GHG emissions, improve air quality by minimizing pollution, and enhance energy security by diversifying the energy mix and reducing dependence on finite fossil fuels. Transitioning to clean energy is a critical component of efforts to combat climate change and achieve sustainable development goals. 
 
Clean energy refers to energy sources or technologies that produce minimal or no harmful emissions of pollutants or GHGs during their generation or use. These sources are typically renewable and have a smaller environmental impact compared to traditional fossil fuels. Examples include solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, and certain forms of biomass energy. 
 
Nuclear is often left out of the clean energy conversation, despite it being the world’s second-largest source of low-carbon electricity, after hydropower. The EU’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy — which seeks to guide investments to activities regarded as environmentally sustainable — lists fossil gas and nuclear as “transitional” energy sources on the road to much greater use of renewables. 
 
Decarbonization 
A rapid decarbonization of the energy system is the key to keeping the goal of 1.5C within reach. This requires accelerating clean energy transition both from the demand and supply side, while such transformation should be orderly, just, and equitable and also account for energy security. - Summary of Global Climate Action at COP28 
 
Decarbonization is the process of reducing or eliminating CO2 emissions from various sectors of the economy, particularly energy production, industry, transportation, and buildings. It involves transitioning away from fossil fuels and adopting cleaner, low-carbon, or carbon-neutral alternatives (e.g., solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, nuclear), as well as the use of carbon capture and storage technologies. 
 
Decarbonization is critical to mitigate climate change and achieve targets to limit the rise in average global temperatures. By reducing CO2 emissions, decarbonization aims to minimize the GHG impact on global warming and its associated impacts on the environment, ecosystems, and human societies. Many countries, regions, and industries have set decarbonization goals and are implementing policies and measures to accelerate the transition to low-carbon economies. 
 
Emissions-Free 
U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday launched an international engagement plan to boost nuclear fusion, saying the emissions-free technology could become a vital tool in the fight against climate change. - Reuters 
 
The Federal Government will transition its infrastructure to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and buildings, powered by carbon pollution-free electricity (CFE). - U.S. Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer 
 
Emissions-free refers to a process, product, or activity that produces no emissions of pollutants or GHGs into the environment during its operation. The term is typically used in the context of energy production or transportation. An emissions-free vehicle, for example, does not emit CO2, nitrogen oxides, or particulate matter from its exhaust system. 
 
Similarly, emissions-free energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power generate electricity without releasing GHGs or other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Achieving emissions-free status is a key goal in efforts to combat climate change and reduce air pollution. 

READ: Choosing the Right Technology: A Guide to Quantifying Methane Emissions on Offshore Platforms
 
Low Carbon 
Accelerating zero and low emissions technologies, including, inter alia, renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies, such as carbon capture and utilization and storage particularly in hard to abate sectors, and low carbon hydrogen production, so as to enhance efforts toward substitution of unabated fossil fuels in energy systems. - From list of goals agreed at COP28 
 
Low carbon refers to activities, technologies, and practices that produce minimal or reduced amounts of CO2 emissions and other GHGs compared to conventional methods. These activities can include wind, solar, and hydroelectric power sources that generate electricity with lower or no carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. 
 
Low carbon practices may involve energy efficiency measures, such as improved building insulation or more fuel-efficient vehicles, that reduce overall carbon emissions associated with energy consumption. The aim is to mitigate climate change by minimizing the release of GHGs. 
 
More on Net Zero 
Transitioning away from fossil fuels in our energy systems, beginning in this decade, in a just, orderly, and equitable manner to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science. - From list of goals agreed at COP28 
 
What Is the Net-Zero Government Initiative (NZGI) Commitment? Participating countries commit to: achieving net-zero emissions from national government operations by no later than 2050. - U.S. Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer 
 
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change defines global net zero as when anthropogenic emissions of GHGs to the atmosphere are balanced by anthropogenic removals over a specified period. The global temperature will stabilize when carbon dioxide emissions reach zero. 
 
In other words, net zero refers to achieving a balance between the amount of GHGs emitted into the atmosphere and the amount removed from it. Balance is typically achieved by reducing emissions as much as possible and offsetting the remaining emissions through actions such as carbon sequestration or investment in projects that remove GHGs from the atmosphere.  
 
Essentially, it means that the total amount of GHGs emitted is equal to the total amount removed or offset, resulting in no net addition to the atmosphere. The goal of achieving net zero emissions is crucial to combat climate change and limit global warming to manageable levels. 
 
Renewable Energy 
By 2030 the EU will reach a minimum of 42.5% of renewables in its energy mix and aim for 45%. - European Commission 
 
About 79% of the nation’s energy comes from fossil fuels, 8.0% from nuclear, and 13.1% from renewable sources. In 2019, renewables surpassed coal in the amount of energy provided to the U.S. and this trend has continued through 2022. Wind and solar are the fastest-growing renewable sources but contribute just 6% of total energy used in the U.S. - University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems 
 
Renewable energy refers to energy derived from sources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale and are therefore considered sustainable over the long term. These energy sources are abundant and continuously available, making them a key part of efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate climate change. 
 
Renewable energy sources include: 

• Solar: Energy harnessed from sunlight using photovoltaic panels or solar thermal systems 
• Wind: Energy generated by capturing the kinetic energy of wind using wind turbines
• Hydroelectric: Energy produced by harnessing the gravitational force of flowing water, typically in dams or rivers
• Biomass: Energy derived from organic materials such as wood, agricultural residues, and waste biomass through processes like combustion, gasification, or anaerobic digestion
• Geothermal: Energy obtained from heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface, usually by tapping into geothermal reservoirs or using ground-source heat pumps 

Final Word 
Navigating the maze of sustainability-related buzzwords requires diligent study. It is also helpful to examine the variety of perspectives regarding decarbonization strategies, many of which are evolving alongside advancements in science and engineering. Shifts in global geopolitical situations also have an influence. 
 
Delving beneath the surface of newspaper headlines is essential to staying well informed! 

More from Jan Burian: Sustainability: Leverage Digital Technology to Reach Your Goal