: 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