From carbon neutral to carbon negative
Each report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) spells out more clearly the impact of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) on global warming. Companies in all sectors, from banking to manufacturing, have pledged to reduce their emissions, both direct and indirect, with a view to becoming carbon neutral at some point in the future. This process usually involves a switch from fossil-based to renewable energy sources. Investing in new, more efficient machinery to optimise processes is another option that delivers results relatively easily. But there is only so much that can be done. In manufacturing, especially, there will remain GHG emissions that cannot be eliminated, and few believe that offsetting them is a viable long-term solution.
