Assessing how far a ‘Net Zero’ strategy moves an organisation towards ‘Nature Positive’ contributions

Charlotte Maddinson , Talitha Bromwich, Thomas B White, Chris Cox, Joseph W Bull

‘Net Zero’ and ‘Nature Positive’ frameworks guide organisations to contribute towards climate and biodiversity goals, but are often implemented separately. It remains unclear to what extent achieving Net Zero strategies can help organisations to contribute towards Nature Positive goals. We apply footprinting methods to an illustrative case study (Wadham College, Oxford) to quantify whether a Net Zero strategy – focusing on GHG emission reductions – delivers biodiversity co-benefits. We find that implementing the college’s 2035 Net Zero strategy could reduce biodiversity impacts from utilities, built environment, and direct land use by approximately 67%. However, the scope of Net Zero strategies often omit highly impactful activities for biodiversity. When landholdings were included within the scope, the Net Zero strategy reduced biodiversity impacts by approximately 5-6%. Our study implies pathways exist for achieving carbon and biodiversity objectives together, provided careful coordination between strategies and extensive compensation of residual impacts.