Greenhouse gases are being burped into the atmosphere around the clock. Little by little, one industrial plant at a time, greenhouse gases have slowly accumulated in the atmosphere, subtlety warming our planet. Today, global warming threatens the well-being of Earth.

In response to climate change, governments and people around the world are seeking carbon neutrality. But what exactly is carbon neutrality?

Carbon neutrality is the act of balancing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and sequestered in an equal amount. This is also known as Net Zero. Because global warming is based on the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, limiting net emissions is critical to staving off the worst potential consequences of climate change.

Net zero is only the first step on the path scientists claim is necessary. Beyond carbon neutrality, our goals are to transition society towards carbon negative so that we're sequestering more greenhouse gas than we emit. This is also known as Climate Positive.

The terms can be a bit confusing if you're new to this, so bear with us - this article has you covered. Increased education regarding these issues, the things that got us here and all of the ways to contribute to a carbon negative existence are critical. This article will help to bolster your understanding of the facts so that you can be better informed and start to take climate action!

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Understanding Our Carbon Footprint

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Have you ever stopped to think about what your own carbon footprint looks like? If you drive a petrol or diesel car, you're burning fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are then released into the atmosphere.

Of course, most of us aren't contributing much to global warming as a singular person. We're just living our lives, right?! Well, yes... but when you add up all the individuals on the planet (and there are lots of us now!) that use cars with internal combustion engines... It really does start to add up.

In fact, the average carbon footprint for US households is about 48 tons of CO2e/yr. That's the sum of all of the greenhouse gases attributed to each of us, and it's composed of things like our transportation (whether we drive, fly or scoot), home and office energy usage, what we buy and what we eat. If you're interested in computing your own individual carbon footprint, the Global Footprint Network offers one of our favorite resources.

Sure, some of these things are out of our control. For example, we can't force our utility companies to not use coal or natural gas to power our cities and we can't not go visit our loved ones or take holidays. Sometimes we just gotta get on a plane, and it's not fair to feel guilty about it! That's entirely fair, but there are still lots of ways for us to reduce carbon emissions and our own individual footprint. Between our own individual action and dramatic actions taken by companies around the world, humanity still has a chance of avoiding the worst consequences of global warming.

And it's critical all of us start to act now - each of us in our own way. If we don't reduce our emissions, the Earth could become inhospitable within our lifetime, with global temperatures rising almost 5 degrees Celsius by 2100!

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How to Achieve Carbon Neutrality?

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Whether we're thinking about this from the standpoint of us as individuals or entire populations of people, the starting point is the same. To begin thinking about achieving carbon neutrality, we have to first understand what we're emitting.

If all of our carbon emissions are equal to all of our emission sinks, then we've achieved net zero and we've taken the first step towards ecological balance!

We've still got a long way to go as a planet until we've achieved this first critical milestone. Globally, we're emitting approximately 175% of what is considered a sustainable level. Some countries and lifestyles emit a lot more than others.

People in the US have on average a very large carbon footprint relative to the other countries. If you're reading this, and wondering, "Well, what can I do?" you're in the right place. Every individual can do a couple of things to help fight climate change. Let's take a look at a few of the most accessible methods for reducing our individual carbon footprint.

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Renewable Energy

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It's a well-known fact that renewable energy has become a very cost-effective and climate neutral method of energy generation. Over the past 20 years we've seen a huge advancement in our ability to harness renewable energy, whether from wind, solar panels, geothermal or hydropower.

And since our energy consumption generally make up a large portion of our individual carbon footprint, it's a good place to get started. Some utilities offer green energy sourcing options, though this isn't very common. Energy is still largely created from fossil fuels around the world. Here are some easy ways for individual households to reduce their carbon footprint and get to carbon neutral:

• Use renewable energy marketplaces like Arcadia Power and Elephant Energy
• Opt in to a local CSA
• And best of all: Put solar on your home if you can! Home solar systems reduce your energy footprint and can save you money every month.

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Electric Vehicles

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Electric vehicles (or EVs) have exploded in popularity in recent years. Many car manufacturers are coming out with more and more electric models and even committing to discontinue older internal combustion models. And though EVs can be still somewhat expensive, those prices are falling dramatically as more models are introduced.

Electric vehicles do not produce any carbon emissions when driven. Of course, emissions are produced in creating EVs, but this still is small in comparison to the amount of pollution created over the life of your conventional gasoline guzzler.

And if you aren't ready to make the jump to an EV, opt in for local public transportation options whenever possible. Jet fuel and everyday gasoline are derivatives of oil and are a major source of hydrocarbons.

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Change your Bank

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Pound for carbon pound, changing your bank is among the easiest and most impactful ways to reduce your carbon footprint. That's because changing your bank doesn't require a large lifestyle adjustment. But how does this work?

Since banks use your money to support major companies and build things out in the world, ensuring your bank is building the sorts of things that reduce emissions instead of creating carbon dioxide emissions is a great way to reduce your own carbon footprint. While there are many banks that claim to be fossil-fuel free, you'll want to find a climate positive alternative to maximize your impact.

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What about Carbon Offsets?

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Carbon offsets can be a great way to reach net zero if current emissions are still greater than current sinks. Carbon offsetting is a method of buying carbon sinks to "offset" a specific carbon footprint.

You can "offset" things like flights and travel, a new sweater, or even try to offset your entire lifestyle. Lots of sustainable companies and brands are now offering products that incorporate offsets automatically as a way to minimize their own net zero carbon emissions goals. Atmos Financial is compiling a list of these types of companies and offers cashback rewards every time you make a climate-wise purchasing decision.

There are lots of types of carbon offsets. The most common is planting trees, but you can also invest in direct air capture (DAC) technologies that need additional funding and research to reach the necessary scale to strip greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

What you'll want to remember is that carbon offsetting is not a permanent solution. Purchasing carbon sinks ("offsets") is a great way to become carbon neutral temporarily, but only through reducing carbon emissions will we achieve net zero emissions and meet the scientific goals laid out in the Paris Agreement in the coming decades.

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What are the Dangers if we don't Manage to Become Carbon Neutral?

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If our current pollution trend is to continue, experts estimate that we'll experience a 3.5 degrees Celsius increase in global temperatures by 2050 and more than 5 degrees Celsius by 2100. For many of the younger generations and those that will be born in the next decades - this is a scary thought!

An increase in global temperatures preludes rising sea levels - an ecological catastrophe that might see more than 300 million people lose their homes, livelihoods, and completely disrupt natural ecosystems that have been developing for millions of years.

The planet is equipped with massive natural sinks that are helping to remove carbon and other harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The Amazon Rainforest is just one example. The carbon stored in forested land and healthy soils is enormous! Though natural sinks remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we're still emitting far more than the system can withstand and we're out of balance. It is critical that we all find ways to make climate positive decisions to fight global warming.

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Final Words

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If you've gotten this far, you're probably pretty interested in supporting changes in the world that limit greenhouse gas emissions and get us to carbon neutral, carbon negative (climate positive) and beyond.

The good news is that there are lots that we can do as individuals, as companies or as entire populations. We can achieve net zero emissions and reduce our carbon output to avoid the worst that global warming can throw at us, but we need to move quickly.

Examining our energy sources and carbon offset projects, striving for zero carbon emissions, and intentionally shopping, saving and donating money to get to carbon neutral is critical step that each of us must take to combat climate change. Our team is here as a resource for you.

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