Research by the University of East Anglia highlights the most troubling sectors to decarbonise when countries reach net zero. Agrarian industries are expected to be accountable for the largest residual or remaining emissions, according to the research.
The shift towards net zero is real, and countries are constantly but slowly pushing for the adaptation of more renewable energy sources, EVs, and other measures to reduce carbon emissions. However, even with the achievement of zero carbon emissions, some sources of emissions will remain.
Certain sectors are harder to decarbonise. For instance, transportation can be decarbonised by adapting to EVs. But the same cannot be done for industries like agriculture and aviation, as there are few alternatives to energy to run these sectors apart from fossil fuels.
The remaining emissions or “residual” emissions will persist to be emitted even at net zero. However, their effect is eliminated through carbon removal technologies such as carbon capture and storage.
The study is among the first to look at the sectors that countries may find difficult to decarbonise and how much they plan to reduce their emissions before moving towards cancelling the residual emissions using carbon removal technologies. Depending on that, the countries may have to plan their infrastructure and carbon technologies required to be adopted.
The research revealed that certain nations, such as the UK and Spain, aim for ambitious goals. They envision emission reductions of over 90% from their initial levels, resulting in less than 10% of their emissions remaining and being offset by carbon dioxide removal.
On the other hand, nations like Canada are less ambitious with their emission targets, the study notes. The plans drawn by Canadian banks upon significant use of fossil fuels with emissions reduction of over 50%. The rest is to be offset using carbon removal technologies.
For developed nations, residual emissions are considerable, averaging 21% compared to their initial greenhouse gas emission levels. However, this average encompasses a wide range, with residual emissions ranging from as low as 5% to as high as 52%.
The research displays an important aspect of ambitions related to net zero. The policies and plans in place for achieving net zero should be examined closely. The study points out the cruciality of understanding the sectors difficult to decarbonise in order to adop practices that can help achieve the net zero goal.
