carbon-neutral

adjective

car·​bon-neu·​tral
variants or carbon neutral
: having or resulting in no net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
Wood-fired electricity qualifies as carbon-neutral because the carbon dioxide the generators emit would have been released anyway as trees die and decompose.Boston Globe, 8 May 2009
: counterbalancing the emission of carbon dioxide with carbon offsets
… advertises itself as the first carbon-neutral polymer producer—though to meet that claim it has to purchase carbon offset certificates for the energy needed for the process.Jessica Marshall, New Scientist, 7 July 2007
carbon neutrality noun

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carbon-neutral was in 1992

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Dictionary Entries Near carbon-neutral

Cite this Entry

“Carbon-neutral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon-neutral. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

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