What Does “Carbon Neutral” Even Mean?

Carbon Neutrality – It’s a big idea! What does it mean? Let’s break it down, word by word!

Carbon: A greenhouse gas that exists naturally in our atmosphere. We can make more of it by burning things or by breathing out.

Take a deep breath in. Now, breathe out. You just exhaled carbon dioxide! 

Carbon dioxide is what we call a greenhouse gas. In a greenhouse, the glass roof and walls capture heat from the sun, which keeps the plants inside warm and healthy, no matter how cold the weather is outside. Carbon dioxide works the same way that glass greenhouse does! It traps heat from the sun and keeps our planet warm enough to live on. 

Lots of animals, including humans, create carbon dioxide every time they breathe out. And that’s not all! A lot of plants, like trees, “breathe in” carbon dioxide through their leaves, which helps to balance the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.

But when humans burn fossil fuels, like oil and gas, we create a lot of extra carbon dioxide! Too much carbon dioxide in our atmosphere means too much heat from the sun gets trapped. Over time, all this carbon dioxide builds up, so our planet is getting warmer and warmer. 

This creates a problem called climate change – a long-term change in the Earth’s temperature and weather patterns. It can lead to extreme weather like droughts and severe storms, impact our food supply, and create all kinds of risks for creatures on Earth. 

Neutral: This word means “balanced” or “even.” We can also use it as a verb: neutralize! When we talk about “neutralizing” something, it means that we’re taking steps to make a dangerous thing safe. For instance, you can neutralize a campfire by pouring water on it.

Human beings are always going to put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere–we let it out every time we exhale! And just about everything we do, from driving to school to buying new clothes to using the toilet (yes, really!), creates even more carbon dioxide.

Being carbon neutral just means that, for every amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere, we take out an equal amount. That way, our atmosphere continues to trap the normal amount of heat, instead of making our planet way too warm!

How Can We Be Carbon Neutral? 

Carbon neutrality is a big issue – in fact, it’s as big as our planet! To become carbon neutral, we’ll need a lot of people to work toward the same goal. That’s where you come in! You and your family can help the whole world become carbon neutral by lowering the amount of carbon that comes from your actions. 

Here are some incredible examples that show how a bunch of people working together can make a big difference!

Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever World Tour

Being a musician and touring around the world means tons of carbon emissions: flying planes or driving tour buses from city to city, using a ton of energy for stage equipment, and selling single-use plastics at the concession stand. And that’s before we factor in all the people driving their cars to the concert! 

That’s why the Grammy-winning pop star Billie Eilish decided it was up to her to neutralize some of the carbon emitted by her latest world tour. Billie, who is 21 years old, reduced her tour’s environmental footprint by doing things like: 

• Eliminating single-use plastics backstage and setting up water refill stations for fans
• Sticking to plant-based foods for both the crew and concert-goers
• Selling sustainable merchandise, like upcycled hoodies and shirts made from organic materials
• Using rechargeable batteries for stage equipment
• Promoting public transportation options to fans before each show
• Raising almost $1 million for environmental and climate projects

Thanks to all this eco-action, Billie Eilish, together with her team and fans, managed to neutralize over 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. That makes us happier than ever!

Costa Rica’s Climate Leadership

Costa Rica is a small tropical country between North and South America. It has lush rainforests that are home to a wide variety of animals like parrots, jaguars, and sloths.

But about fifty years ago, Costa Rica’s forests were on the path to destruction. Cutting down a forest to plant crops or make timber is called deforestation. Farmers and loggers were cutting down so many trees that Costa Rica had one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. The country lost a lot of its forest cover, creating problems for Costa Rica’s wildlife and its environment.

That’s when Costa Rica’s government decided: Enough is enough! They decided it was time to protect and restore the forests. They made it illegal to chop down forests without permission, and they started to pay local farmers and landowners for protecting the environment. This system not only protects forests, but it helps the people in Costa Rica’s community too. Costa Rica is now one of the world’s leaders in reforestation! Talk about a comeback story! 

Protecting forests and planting trees are just two pieces of the puzzle when it comes to carbon neutrality. Costa Rica is using many different strategies to reduce their carbon emissions. They’re using renewable energy, reducing emissions from transportation, and educating people so that everyone understands how they can contribute.   

Costa Rica is a climate champion for their efforts towards becoming carbon neutral, just like our friends at Royale!

Royale’s Carbon Neutral Paper Products

When you’re blowing your nose or using the toilet, carbon neutrality is probably the last thing on your mind. But not for the folks at Royale! They have achieved carbon neutrality on the total carbon footprint of their tissue products sold in Canada. Royale tissue products come from trees in forests that remove more carbon per year than is emitted in the life cycle of Royale tissue products manufactured in the year! That’s nothing to sneeze at. You can learn more at https://www.royale.ca/carbon-neutral.

Tell Us What Carbon Neutrality Means to You!

Now that you know what carbon neutral means, we want to hear what it means to you! How do you reduce carbon emissions in your everyday life? Do you ever do things that help absorb carbon, like planting trees and flowers? Most importantly, why is being carbon neutral important – both to you and to the planet?

Send us your answers in your own words, and you could see your writing published in an anthology by Earth Rangers – and receive $500 for your work! Along with your written answer, you can send us any pictures you’ve drawn or photos you’ve taken that help you explain what carbon neutrality means to you.