Environmental issues are increasingly disputed in recent years, and climate change has become a situation that must be resolved as urgently as possible. That’s why the term “climate neutrality” was born. This has become the best solution for our planet and intensive work is being done to establish the steps that each EU country, including Romania, must follow in order to achieve it.

1. What does climate neutrality mean – useful information
You’ve probably heard of this term by now and wondered “what is climate neutrality?”. Well, it’s a concept based on the goal of our planet becoming pollution neutral.

This goal is not a new one, but is also mentioned in the Paris Agreement, a treaty that was signed by 195 countries around the world in 2016. Things did not stop there, and in 2019, the leaders of the European Union fell agreement regarding the deadline in which climate neutrality must be achieved, and this is 2050. Thus, EU countries have committed themselves to this solution of the problem, and Romania is part of these countries.

It is extremely important for society that carbon footprint and emissions to no longer be a problem, given the fact that ozone layer that it is more and more affected, and extreme weather phenomena are more and more frequent. Euro pollution standards were established by the European Union in 1992, but their updating was required.

It is also known that the European Union must give up its dependence on energy and fossil fuels coming from Russia and replace these elements with cleaner forms of energy.

Thus, the idea was reached that by 2030 the emission reduction threshold of up to 55 percent should be reached, and that by 2050, they should be totally eliminated.

Why is this change necessary? Because greenhouse gases lead to an increase in global temperatures and the melting of glaciers. This has a knock-on effect leading to rising sea and ocean levels, desertification or extreme weather events. That is why it is vital to strike a balance and reach net zero emissions. It is important to understand that this does not mean that no more greenhouse gases will be generated at all, but that the amount that will be emitted into the atmosphere will be completely absorbed by the oceans, soil, forests, etc. Thus, gases no longer accumulate in the Earth’s atmosphere, and the excess greenhouse effect is eliminated.

2. Climate neutrality – how is it achieved?
Climate neutrality has a clear and concise definition – the total reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the use of alternative fuels, but also greater carbon absorption. Thus, measures will be taken as:

• greater investment in green technologies;
• the development of forms of transport that are as clean as possible (electric transport);
• modernization and construction of energy efficient buildings;
• decarbonisation of the energy sector;
• supporting innovative projects.

Change must start from each individual. Even though commercial operators and large companies are the main pawns in this blurring, people can also contribute to achieving the goals. While for individuals this means greater accountability, for businesses things can be more difficult.

Fortunately, this is where Stratos comes in, the environmental officer which comes to the aid of companies with consulting services, environmental permits and many other benefits. Also, being an expert on the legislation side, companies will quickly get information on obligations to the Environmental Fund which they have, because non-compliance with contributions entails quite large fines.