British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Environmental Science Glossary - Carbon neutrality definition

Definition: Carbon neutrality is the balance between how much carbon we are releasing into the atmosphere and the amount that is reabsorbed. Carbon neutrality is a way we can manage this balance. The natural world has systems within it that reduces the amount of carbon in the atmosphere - forests and trees absorb carbon via photosynthesis, water and the soil also absorb carbon. The danger we now face is that we are releasing far too much carbon into the atmosphere for these natural processes to cope with. We need to find ways to put the release and absorption of carbon back into balance. The Carbon Neutral logo is a way of tackling this problem - you might have seen this logo on taxis, where it means the taxi doesn't run on fossil fuel but on electricity; solar power is another way we can reduce how much carbon is being released.