Zero emission

Zero emission describes a building, a vehicle, a production process, a service or any other infrastructure or activity, the construction, execution, use or disposal of which does not result in environmentally harmful emissions . The term is not legally protected and can accordingly refer to different pollutants and parts of the production or use process. Examples of zero emissions are an emission-free vehicle or a plus-energy house .

When viewed comprehensively, the concept of zero emissions would have to encompass the entire life cycle and thus a complete ecological balance of all relevant environmental pollutants. Often, however, only individual components are recorded. For example, with regard to global warming , zero emissions can only refer to the emitted greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide or methane , while the description of a bicycle as a zero-emission vehicle excludes production and disposal. The same applies, for example, to wind turbines or photovoltaics , whose operation is emission-free, but whose manufacture and recycling do result in emissions of various types.

Zero emissions can also be meant purely arithmetically, one then speaks of net-zero emissions, or, in the case of CO ₂ , also of CO ₂ neutrality . In a plus-energy house, for example, more energy is produced over a year than is consumed inside. Strictly speaking, emissions can arise because production does not take place at the same time as consumption. In addition, only electrical and thermal energy are initially meant here as zero emissions; waste flows, traffic, and water supply and wastewater disposal are usually not included.

literature

P. Eyerer, H. Florin, T. Kupfer et al .: Towards Sustainability - Zero Emission (ZE) and Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) (PDF) , overview paper of the Zero Emission Initiative of the University of Stuttgart (English; 150 kB)
Zero Emission Workshop ( Memento from April 21, 2004 in the Internet Archive ), February 9 and 10, 1999 at the Fraunhofer ICT in Pfinztal, Germany (3.37 MB)

Web links

Zero Emission Network ( Memento from June 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), campaign page "for zero emissions and below" (English)

Individual evidence

↑ IPCC 2018 Annex I: Glossary . In: JBR Matthews (Ed.): Global Warming of 1.5 ° C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty . Keyword net zero CO ₂ emissions ( ipcc.ch - German translation in the list of translations by de-ipcc, as of July 2019).

[1] IPCC 2018 Annex I: Glossary . In: JBR Matthews (Ed.): Global Warming of 1.5 ° C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty . Keyword net zero CO ₂ emissions ( ipcc.ch - German translation in the list of translations by de-ipcc, as of July 2019).