The Value of Zero

In our system of Arabic numerals we encounter the zero, 0, which we are taught signifies a value of nothing. Zero is null, void. We would balk at a salary of 0 dollars for a job well done. We would dislike a return of 0 dollars on a stock investment (but less than we would dislike a loss!). We would despair at economic growth of 0%.

A new ad for the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric car, suggests a new interpretation of zero: that indeed it can have inestimable value.

Consider some further zeroes; what is (or would be) their value?

0 gallons of gas per mile driven.
0 dependence on foreign oil.
0 ppm of CO2 produced by our power plants.
0 extinctions of species due to human activity.
0 starving human beings
0 mountains de-topped for coal mining.
0 deaths from black lung disease.
0 politicians clammoring to cut taxes on the rich.
0 politicians clammoring to grow the economy.
0 deaths in the United States from gun violence.
0 deaths in the United States from drug overdose.
0 oil spills.
0 terrorists.