Greenhouse gas neutrality (Q649)
Subject, term, tag: Greenhouse gas neutrality
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Greenhouse gas neutrality |
Subject, term, tag: Greenhouse gas neutrality |
Statements
IPCC Glossary v1.5
1 reference
27 May 2026
Condition in which metric-weighted anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a subject are balanced by metric-weighted anthropogenic GHG removals. The subject can be an entity such as a country, an organisation, a district or a commodity, or an activity such as a service or an event. GHG neutrality is often assessed over the lifecycle, including indirect (‘scope 3’) emissions, but can also be limited to the emissions and removals, over a specified period, for which the subject has direct control, as determined by the relevant scheme. The quantification of GHG emissions and removals depends on the GHG emission metric chosen to compare emissions and removals of different gases, as well as the time horizon chosen for that metric [Note 1: Greenhouse gas neutrality and net zero greenhouse gas emissions are overlapping concepts. The concepts can be applied at global or sub-global scales (e.g., regional, national and sub-national). At a global scale, the terms greenhouse gas neutrality and net zero greenhouse gas emissions are equivalent. At sub-global scales, net zero GHG emissions is generally applied to emissions and removals under direct control or territorial responsibility of the reporting entity, while GHG neutrality generally includes emissions and removals within and beyond the direct control or territorial responsibility of the reporting entity. Accounting rules specified by GHG programmes or schemes can have a significant influence on the quantification of relevant emissions and removals. Note 2: Under the Paris Rulebook (Decision 18/CMA.1, annex, paragraph 37), parties have agreed to use GWP100 values from the IPCC AR5 or GWP100 values from a subsequent IPCC Assessment Report to report aggregate emissions and removals of GHGs. In addition, parties may use other metrics to report supplemental information on aggregate emissions and removals of GHGs. Note 3: In some cases, achieving greenhouse gas neutrality may rely on the supplementary use of offsets to balance emissions that remain after actions by the reporting entity are taken into account.] (English)
IPCC Glossary v1.5
1 reference
27 May 2026