In recent years, terms like “carbon neutral” and “net zero” are increasingly being used when discussing climate change. They refer to a state in which the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by human activities minus the amount removed is zero.

What is fundamentally needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is phase out fossil fuels such as coal and fossil gas, which emit huge amounts of greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, many so-called “carbon neutral” technologies currently being promoted will in fact enable the continued use of fossil fuels.

Examples include carbon capture and storage (CCS, technology to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere) and direct air capture (DAC, technology to directly capture CO2 from the atmosphere), and so-called “zero emission fuel” such as hydrogen and ammonia for co-firing with coal in the thermal power stations. These are being promoted but fail to address the root cause of the climate crisis. These technologies not only will not stop climate change, they also threaten to further accelerate other environmental problems such as biodiversity loss. This is why they are called “false solutions.”