These eight ‘fantastic’ countries have already achieved net zero emissions

To mitigate the impact of climate change, the European Parliament has adopted the European Climate Regulation to raise carbon emission reductions from 40% to at least 55% by 2030. This regulation has made climate neutrality by 2050 legally binding for member states. The United States has set this goal as well, along with many other countries, while nations like China or India have announced the same goal, but decades later. However, it seems that some countries have now achieved this holy ‘net zero’ grail.

Net zero emissions are achieved when more carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere each year than is emitted. Achieving net zero globally is a central part of efforts to prevent global warming from exceeding the climate target of 1.5C.

Greenhouse gas emissions today are higher than when 190 countries adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015, claims the World Economic Forum, stating that both large and small emitters are developing long-term plans for decarbonizing sectors such as energy, electricity and heat, industry, transport, and agriculture. When these plans will be fully implemented is unknown.

However, countries rich in natural resources such as rainforests that naturally absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, as well as countries with small populations and limited industrial production, are, according to WEF, on track to reach their set goals before others.

Countries that have achieved net zero emissions

And such countries do indeed exist. There are eight of them, according to research conducted by Energy Monitor.

The first of them is Bhutan, a small country between China and India with a population of 672,452 according to the last census in 2015. Agriculture for subsistence, sustainable forestry, and tourism make up the bulk of Bhutan’s economic activity, and the kingdom has long pursued a policy that promotes sustainable forest management while protected national parks dominate two-fifths of the country.

The second country on the WEF list is Comoros, a small volcanic archipelago located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa, north of Madagascar. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a population of 800,000 densely concentrated in the main coastal cities of its four islands. Low emissions from agriculture, fishing, and livestock farming, which account for about half of the country’s economy, along with strict environmental protection for nearly a quarter of the land, support its net zero status.

Gabon ranks third on this list, dominated by rainforests covering 88% of the country’s land mass. Located in the Congo Basin, which is one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, Gabon emits very little carbon dioxide while absorbing large amounts. The UN has called Gabon a model of environmental conservation.

Guyana is another forest-rich country located on the northern coast of South America surrounded by the Amazon rainforest. After already achieving net zero emissions, the country aims for a further 70% reduction in emissions by 2030. However, the country became the world’s newest oil producer in 2019, which could jeopardize its status as a zero emitter of greenhouse gases.

The island of Madagascar is located off the eastern coast of Africa and relies on agriculture and fishing as its main economic production. Although it is currently a net zero emitter, large-scale deforestation has led to the loss of a quarter of the country’s forest cover since 2000, according to Global Forest Watch. If the current rate of tree loss continues, Madagascar is projected to become a net emitter of carbon dioxide by 2030, predicts Energy Monitor.

Niue is a small coral island that no one has heard of, located in the southern Pacific Ocean and home to a local population of about 2,000 people. Fishing, agriculture, and tourism are the main economic activities. Niue contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions with only 0.0001%. However, its exposed position makes it vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, from rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and increasing cyclone threats. For example, in January 2004, Cyclone Heta, a category 5 storm, destroyed the capital of Niue.

Panama joined Suriname and Bhutan at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow to form an alliance of negative carbon countries, calling for support for trade and carbon pricing while encouraging greater efforts to achieve net zero levels. With a population of 4.5 million people, about 65% of Panama’s land mass is covered by rainforests, and the government plans to reforest an additional 50,000 hectares by 2050.

Suriname is a small Amazonian nation and one of the most forest-rich countries in the world, with 93% of its land mass covered by forests. Suriname’s forests absorb billions of tons of CO2 and support rich biodiversity.

As we can see, all the countries that have so far achieved this holy grail of zero emissions are, in order, countries with very small populations and virtually no industry. If this is the path we must take, we are not in a good position.