Climate Action Strategy - "Our Home, Our Future"

The term 'net zero' means achieving a balance between the carbon emitted into the atmosphere, and the carbon removed from it.

This balance – or net zero – will happen when the amount of carbon we add to the atmosphere is no more than the amount removed. 

A net zero commitment seeks to reduce emissions as far as possible as the primary strategy. Offsetting is only considered once strategies to avoid, reduce and substitute have been implemented and only hard to reduce emissions remain.