So what exactly is "net zero"?

If I was depending on a politician for an answer it seems I would not get one. 

Apparently the question came up in the Senate yesterday. It was asked by a rabble rousing Senator for whom I had no time - until yesterday. That does not mean I like the Senator in question now. It still astounds me that people actually vote for her. Yesterday however she asked a Senator in the government ranks, a Senator who has been outspoken about "climate change" for years to explain "net zero". The Senator could not explain.

I am no climate scientist but I always thought the simplest explanation probably ran along the lines of something like, "What you put into the atmosphere you also take out of the atmosphere in some other environmentally friendly way".  No, it isn't a great explanation. Yes, it is a lot more complicated than that. At the same time though it is surely the sort of explanation that most people would understand?

Later yesterday I had the chance to ask a few people how they would define it. Their definitions varied from something like mine to "I don't know but it's what we have to do." Perhaps a little more education is called for?

And then the first Senator asked the second Senator for an estimate of how much all this was going to cost. The answer was "poli-speak" at its very best...in other words there was no answer at all. It was clear the Senator being asked has absolutely no idea what the cost will be. 

I doubt anyone else has any idea either. When I asked the same question of the people I asked for a definition the answers varied from "Millions" to "Billions" and to "Probably trillions but you can't even start to estimate something like that."

The little group went on to talk about "cutting emissions" and "electric vehicles" and "doing our bit" until it started to spit-spot with rain again. We broke up and they went in to their nice warm houses with electric lights blazing out, the television on, a computer running and meals cooking on gas or electricity. My neighbours are lovely people. They are genuinely concerned about the future of the planet for the sake of their children and their grandchildren. I am concerned for their children and grandchildren too, indeed concerned for all children everywhere.

But are we going to "reach targets" we don't even really understand at a price we have yet to be fully informed about? Surely the Senator should be able to provide some information in a form that people can understand?  Perhaps not.