170: vying for the crown of carbon neutrality

The race between the world's nations, and even regional blocs, to be green is emerging as a recurrent theme on Reasons to be Hopeful. So in that context I was interested to find today's linked article, in the UK's Independent newspaper. It reports that four countries - Costa Rica, Iceland, Norway and New Zealand - have formally signed up to the goal of carbon neutrality. Their commitment was formally registered at the UN Environment Programme's annual governing council meeting recently, where all the countries set dates for the achievement of carbon neutrality, Costa Rica as early as 2021. The result is likely to be a much cleaner environment all round, at least locally within the countries concerned. But it is also a striking example of the kind of determination that is required to tackle and cope with global climate change. It's great to see such a diverse group of nations show leadership in pursuit of such an ambitious target. Definitely a reason to be hopeful.