More often than not, the folklore and cartoons actually depict the instantly prevalent mindset of humanity in general.

As per McKinsey and Company:

Net zero is an ideal state where the amount of greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere is equal to the amount removed.

As per the United Nations:

Put simply, net zero means cutting carbon emissions to a small amount of residual emissions that can be absorbed and durably stored by nature and other carbon dioxide removal measures, leaving zero in the atmosphere. 

Can the presence of carbon be this volatile for the atmosphere? Can it really change the core functioning of Mother Earth? Can the core building block of all the life and non-life forms also become the slow poison for its own creations?

What is a blessing in moderation can be a curse in excess 

Very similar is the case with the current environment and the story behind the curse of carbon.

The great minds of Earth have indeed found a high correlation between the presence of CO2 and the impediments of Mother Earth – Enhanced Greenhouse effect, climate change, Ocean Acidification, and Disruption of the Ecosystem.

2. How bad is the situation of Mother Earth? 

The most important metric to estimate the impact of excess carbon on the mother earth is the average temperature rise as compared to the pre-industrialization levels. Though there is a lot of variability associated with this unit in terms of its association and other parameters, however, it is important to note that 195 nations pledged to hold the Earth’s temperature to “well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels,” and going further, aim to “limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”, thereby adopting the matrix of measuring average temperature of Earth.

Subsequent to this, there was an enhanced push towards attaining carbon neutrality and making the artificial activities Net Zero in terms of carbon emissions.

However, things are not going as planned!!

In May 2023, the WMO[1] issued a report that projected a significant likelihood (66 per cent) that the world would exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold in the next four years. This breach would likely be driven by human-induced climate change, combined with a warming El Niño — a cyclical weather phenomenon that temporarily heats up ocean regions and pushes global temperatures higher.

To hold the planet’s long-term average temperature to below the 1.5-degree threshold, the world will have to reach net zero emissions by the year 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

3. Human Resource and Net Zero: 

The storyline of Captain Planet revolves around 5 crucial elements identified to save the world – “Earth!” “fire!” “wind!” “water!” and “heart!”. In the storyline, 5 individuals owned one ring each giving them distinct control over one of these elements. The superhero – Captain Planet can be summoned only when each of these five individuals chooses to combine their powers to rescue Mother Earth.

While each of the elements has its own unique properties and importance in the storyline, the element of heart was the pivotal one which weaved each of the others together into a formidable being.

After the Paris 2015 accord, the entire world has come together to save mother earth, with large traditional organizations starting to transition into sustainable beings.

In the current sense, the power of the heart can be associated with the most important resource after time – the human resource.

4. Energy Generation and Carbon Emissions: 

It won’t be very wrong to state that almost all of the carbon emissions originate in the process of making energy. As per a recent UN Emissions Gap Report, 68% of CO2 emissions originate from the production of energy. The importance of this number is exemplified by the fact that fuel for energy generation is being sourced primarily from Coal as well as the Oil & Gas companies.

It hence becomes increasingly important for the key energy providers of the globe – the energy fuel providers to transition themselves and more importantly, lead the entire energy transition journey for the world.

The energy transition is not just a technological challenge but a people-centric transformation as well, wherein passion and possibilities are tasked with fuelling innovation and growth.

Human resources to a company is what software is to computers. No matter how much computational prowess you have cultivated, the entire thing becomes a complete waste if you do not have the proper software to operate it.