Carbon Neutral - or Net Zero Carbon - is a term used to describe the state of an entity (such as a company, service, product or event), where the carbon emissions caused by them have been balanced out by funding an equivalent amount of carbon savings elsewhere in the world. Carbon neutrality is the equivalent of a net result of zero emissions. There are several actions that emitter agents can take to reach this balance, being achieved largely due to the phasing out the use of fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas, etc.), main cause of global warming.

There are many countries which are shifting towards Carbon neutrality. Bhutan and Suriname are the only Carbon neutral country. In its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Bhutan aims to remain carbon neutral, building upon a commitment already made in 2009 (Royal Government of Bhutan, 2010). This means that Bhutan aims to maintain GHG emissions below the country’s total carbon sink from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). Bhutan’s carbon neutral commitment means it would need to keep emissions below its LULUCF sink level. If the current LULUCF sink stays at the current level of around -6 MtCO₂e/a, it means emissions outside LULUCF are limited to around 6 MtCO₂e/a. This level falls within the ‘insufficient’ category. A more ambitious NDC target would need to rely less on keeping this sink and instead aim for slowing growth and peaking emissions from industry, transport, and agriculture to eventually achieve reduced emissions levels.

Suriname has become the second nation after Bhutan globally to outline updated plans to fight climate change in the hope of ensuring that any future increase in the temperature of the planet does not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The South American country is 93 per cent covered by forest, which acts as a massive carbon sink; in other words, all those trees capture, or suck in, harmful carbon dioxide gas removing it from the atmosphere. Less carbon dioxide means less warming. Suriname has a small population of just over half a million, and thus most infrastructure and economic activity is concentrated along its easily accessible Atlantic coast.

References -

https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/bhutan/

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/01/1056422