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Photo Credit: Leigh Blackall

Good news on the global warming front…another country has pledged to go carbon neutral! Tuvalu, a small nation state made up of atolls located in the South Pacific, has said that by 2020 they want all of their energy to come from wind and solar. Though Tuvalu is very small, with only 12,000 people, and their shift to renewable energy won’t cause a large enough decrease in greenhouse gas emissions to substantially affect the global warming trend, it will hopefully inspire other larger countries to join in on the fight against climate change. “We look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all – powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind,” said the Public Utilities Minister Kausea Natano.

The highest point in Tuvalu is only 15 feet above sea level so concerns over the affects of global warming (such as sea level rise) are very real and very urgent. However, they are not alone in their fears with so many other low-lying islands in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian Ocean.

We can be thankful that there is a growing list of nations committed to going completely carbon neutral, such as Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Iceland, The Maldives, Monaco, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal and, of course, now Tuvalu. Let’s just hope this movement to go 100% renewable picks up momentum and some larger countries like…us join in.

To learn more check out the BBC News