According to the World Population Review, there are currently a total of eight carbon neutral countries in the world. This means that each country is removing an equal amount or more CO2 from the air than it is emitting. In other words, these countries are 'carbon-neutral'. So, which countries are leading the way for carbon neutrality? Let's take a look.
The following countries are currently carbon neutral:
• Bhutan (carbon negative)
• Madagascar
• Tuvalu
• Suriname (carbon negative)
• Niue
• Gabon
• Comoros
• Guyana
These countries all have one thing in common: many of them have large areas of forest coverage. For example, Buhan is 72% forest, absorbing 9 million tonnes of CO2 per year, while Suriname has 97% forest cover. The trees take in the gas through a process known as photosynthesis, releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. This is one of the ways that each country absorbs more carbon, through their large amounts of forest coverage. There are also other unique factors from each country which contribute to their carbon neutrality.
In 2021, Jeff Bezos granted $7 million in funding to develop and implement plans to push for net-zero in industries such as steel, concrete, aluminum and chemicals. Other countries have also made legally-binding agreements to meet their net-zero goals within a certain time frame, such as Sweden, the UK, France, Denmark, New Zealand, and Hungary in a race to become the next carbon neutral country.