Meaning & use
carbon neutral
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Having no net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, usually by balancing emissions with removal or offsets.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb or before a noun: The city is carbon neutral; a carbon-neutral building.
Patterns
- be carbon neutral
- become carbon neutral
- go carbon neutral
- a carbon-neutral something
The university aims to be carbon neutral by 2035.
They bought carbon offsets to make their flight carbon neutral.
The new office building is designed to be carbon neutral.
Common combinations
- become carbon neutral
- Many countries have pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050.
- go carbon neutral
- The company went carbon neutral after switching to renewable energy.
- carbon-neutral goal
- Their carbon-neutral goal includes reducing waste and planting trees.
- carbon-neutral economy
- A carbon-neutral economy would rely on clean energy sources.
Synonyms and how they differ
- net zero
- Net zero usually refers to balancing all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide, so it is broader than carbon neutral.
- zero-carbon
- Zero-carbon means producing no carbon emissions at all, while carbon neutral allows some emissions if they are offset.
- climate neutral
- Climate neutral covers all climate impacts, whereas carbon neutral focuses on carbon dioxide.
Opposites
Word family
- carbon neutrality noun
- The state of being carbon neutral.
- carbon offset noun
- A payment or action that balances out carbon emissions.
Commonly confused: carbon neutral or carbon zero? carbon neutral or carbon negative?
carbon neutral vs carbon zero
Carbon zero means no carbon emissions at all, while carbon neutral allows emissions that are balanced by offsets.
carbon neutral vs carbon negative
Carbon negative means removing more carbon dioxide than you release, which is stronger than being carbon neutral.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Carbon neutral is an adjective, so it follows 'be' in option 0. Option 1 adds an unnecessary possessive, option 2 omits 'be', and option 3 uses the noun 'carbon neutrality' where an adjective is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carbon neutral”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.