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We should start by recognising that there is no "agreed" definition of the term "Climate Positive". As a result the term is used in different ways, which we acknowledge could be confusing. So, we would like to present 3 commonly used interpretations and offer our suggestion for addressing the confusion.
This is probably the most commonly used definition and for most organisations would involve the following process:
We offer this as a new definition, which for most organisations would involve the following process:
Note: We do support this interpretation as it is based on the scientifically valid approach of Net Zero, however we recommend using the alternative name "Carbon Negative" to avoid confusion with the 3rd interpretation (explained below). Thus we would re-write the above definition as:
This involves focussing on the creation of "Carbon Handprints" alongside the key job of achieving Net Zero emissions. A handprint is a contribution that makes a positive change in the world to help improve the lives of others. A Carbon Handprint specifically helps someone else to reduce their carbon footprint. You can read more about our approach to carbon handprints here.
If we do this, we can massively increase our positive impact on the climate by multiplying our efforts many times over. After all, once you have reduced your footprint to zero there is nowhere else to go, but there is no limit to the potential size of your handprint.
This is our preferred definition of the term "Climate Positive", which we have used since Go Climate Positive launched in 2020.
These terms are the source of much confusion, as organisations tend to use them interchangeably to mean essentially the same thing.
However, confusion often arises around whether the organisation using one of these terms is using "Carbon Neutral" or "Net Zero" as the benchmark for the comparison. This means that you need to dig below the surface of the headline and look at the detail of any claim of this type that an organisation makes.
Our preferred term for the mathematical interpretation of this principle is "Carbon Negative", since this is mathematically correct. We believe that the only scientifically valid benchmark for a claim of "Carbon Negative" is to base it on Net Zero. In other words a organisation should first meet the criteria for a claim of Net Zero before it can claim to be Carbon Negative. This is explained in Interpretation 2 above.
We prefer a mindset interpretation for the term "Climate Positive" which is explains in Interpretation 3 above.