Feature

The road to net zero starts at material selection

In 2021, the UK Government set the world’s most ambitious climate change target: to reduce emissions by 78 percent by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. This would bring the UK more than three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050. Here, Samir Jaber, Content Writer at Matmatch, argues that the most efficient way to achieve carbon neutrality is with overall carbon reduction per process or product.

31/05/2022 17:02:04

In 2021, the UK Government set the world’s most ambitious climate change target: to reduce emissions by 78 percent by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. This would bring the UK more than three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050. Here, Samir Jaber, Content Writer at Matmatch, argues that the most efficient way to achieve carbon neutrality is with overall carbon reduction per process or product.

Carbon neutrality can only be achieved via a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks, which include any system that absorbs more carbon than it emits. The main natural carbon sinks are soil, forests, and oceans. According to recent estimates, natural sinks remove between 9.5 and 11 gigatons of CO2 globally per year. That is why planting trees is such a common attempt to offset the carbon footprints of products or processes.

However, the world still loses almost six million hectares of forest each year to deforestation – which is like losing an area the size of Portugal every two years. While continuing the fight against this, we need to consider alternative ways of reducing carbon if we are to hit our net-zero targets...

Read the full article in DPA's June issue

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.