Carbon Neutrality - is a term used to describe the state of an entity (such as a company, service, product or event), where the carbon emissions caused by them have been balanced out by funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world.

The definition gave me chills in my stomach because if this could be enacted as a law and pushed through all countries, I think it would really help in our fight against climate. If a company is emitting an amount of carbon dioxide into the environment, the company would be forced by law to find ways and means of getting rid of the carbon dioxide. I hope this becomes the norm one day.

What is Ghana doing about carbon neutrality? Well, in my previous reports, it would be noted that I have given an initiative taken by the government to help reduce the impact of climate change in the country and world as a whole and in that initiative, it brought the Go Green Ghana Agenda which would ensure that over three million trees are planted all over the country. The government sees it necessary to take this huge step as a pace setter for others especially those in the private sector to follow its lead. And this is so because even if laws are set about the environment and individual companies are to follow them, the government would not have supervision over it and hence the laws would be ignored or not followed. Lack of human resources to help with enforcement has been one of the main downfalls of Ghana and Africa as a whole.

How can companies help in carbon neutrality? The following steps by (carbonfootprint.com) can be very helpful:

1.     Set carbon neutrality and carbon management strategies

2.     Calculate & track carbon footprint

3.     Implement cost effective carbon reduction programmes

4.     Offset emissions through a wide choice of high quality projects around the world

5.     Develop their marketing and communications strategy around their environmental credentials

Green Cheers! From Ghana