Of the 137 countries that have committed to being carbon neutral, only 61 have put their commitments in writing in a specific law or political document. The last country to join this initiative has been Australia, which a few days before the start of COP26, the international climate summit that began yesterday in Glasgow, ad its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the opposition was quick to criticize the imprecision of the Australian government’s plan, which does not seek to achieve the neutral emissions target through tax increases, but through technology.
Among the nations that have made concrete commitments, Finland is leading the race towards net zero emissions. Your goal is to be carbon neutral by 2035. In Europe, Iceland, Austria, Sweden and Germany will aim to achieve this goal between 2040 and 2045, while the Most of the other committed countries have set the year 2050 as their goal, as is the case with Spain.
However, there are some notable exceptions, such as China, India and Russia aim to be carbon neutral by 2060. These three countries are among the five main CO2 emitters the world and only China has so far submitted a document to achieve this goal. Although their contribution to global emissions is minimal, Suriname and Bhutan are the only two countries that are already carbon neutral. This can be attributed to a relatively underdeveloped economy, as well as dense forest cover, which makes up 93% of Suriname’s total area, for example.
Although the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a key element of the concept of carbon neutrality and the fight against climate change, it is not its only relevant indicator. Man-made or natural carbon sinks, such as tropical forests, also play an important role in achieving this goal. For this reason, the transition to a society with zero net carbon emissions must be considered in a holistic framework, which includes the promotion of measures to preserve important natural habitats, as well as the development of technologies to reduce emissions and eliminate carbon. of the atmosphere.
