What a company’s climate pledge really means

Welcome to the confusing world of climate commitments

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(Mark Hulbert, an author and longtime investment columnist, is the founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest; his Hulbert Ratings audits investment newsletter returns.)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Callaway Climate Insights) – Ready for today’s climate finance pop quiz?

What’s the difference between “climate positive” and “carbon negative,” two different labels that companies use to describe their commitment to fighting climate change?

Give up? The answer is that they mean the same thing. They refer to going above and beyond simply not emitting any greenhouse gas emissions, and actually removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Such companies are “carbon negative,” since they are reducing the amount of GHG in the atmosphere, and they are “climate positive” since they are helping to reduce global warming.

Get it?

Welcome to the confusing world of climate commitments.