climatepositive

Climatepositive is a term used in sustainability discourse to describe activities, products, organizations, or regions that achieve a net positive effect on the climate by removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than they emit within a defined boundary. In practice, climatepositive means a net negative greenhouse gas balance, i.e., negative emissions that exceed the entity’s own emissions. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with climate-positive, net-positive, or climate-positive impact, though definitions vary by organization and jurisdiction.

Approaches to achieve climate positivity combine reductions in emissions with removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This can involve energy efficiency, electrification with low-carbon energy, and switching to renewables to reduce emissions, alongside carbon removal activities such as reforestation, soil carbon sequestration, biochar, wetlands restoration, and direct air capture with storage. Claims are typically supported by lifecycle or product-system accounting and third-party verification. Key considerations include the boundaries of measurement (what is included in Scope 1–3), permanence of removals, additionality (would removal have occurred anyway), and avoidance of double counting.

Because there is no universally adopted standard for climate-positive claims, the term can be used variably and risk greenwashing if not independently verified. Critics emphasize the need for transparent accounting, credible third-party verification, and alignment with established targets and frameworks. Proponents argue it signals a higher ambition than net-zero by requiring ongoing reductions alongside removal, and by focusing on genuine climate benefits rather than mere offsetting.