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2018 Most Environmentally Performed Countries |
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by Israel Adeoye | 09-01-2019 09:46
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As we are all working to represent and improve the environmental sector of our home country, it is also good to know top countries in the world with best environmental performance and practices. This article below is an appropriate resource. Environmental Performance Index [EPI] : it is a scorecard which ranks countries based on 24 environmental performance indicators (example: air quality, water quality, sanitation, biodiversity, climate change & energy). These performance indicators are categorized under 2 main policy objectives –environmental health and ecosystem vitality. These metrics provide a score on a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy goals. The EPI provides a summary of the status of sustainability around the world using the latest advances in environmental science. Few countries are doing great to attain the sustainable goals. Here are top 5 most sustainable countries around the world according to EPI 2018 . 1. Switzerland Switzerland is a beautiful country ranking 1 in the EPI 2018 with a score of 87.42. Its top ranking reflects its performance to overcome issues, especially Climate & Energy and Air Pollution. Most of the energy used in Switzerland is obtained from hydroelectric power. The rest of the energy is obtained through nuclear power plants. The energy production results in very low carbon footprint. Switzerland has been protecting and designated a lot of land to National parks. With its greenery spread and a large area protected, it scores high in Biodiversity & habitat. 2. France A shift away from industrialization over the past decades has resulted in the improvement of France’s environment. With its rigorous effort and government policies, France is ranked #2 in EPI2018. As a member of the European Union, France is trying to impart changes in its environmental policies to reduce its environmental concerns. France is still coping with the legacy of its industrial past. To ensure the reduction in emissions, France is following national and territorial action plans. About 30% of the energy source used is renewable in France. In recent years, the French government has actively supported clean technology through the use of government subsidies. To meet the high demands in agriculture and other resources France is developing cleaner technologies. All the efforts taken by the French government and public has provided a fruitful result. With its growing number of environmental graduates, the country can seek a sustainable future. 3. Denmark Denmark’s major goal is to create an environmentally sustainable community. The country has already started a journey to meet its goal. The country aims to achieve a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. Wind energy and cycling culture of Denmark contributes a lot to its good environmental condition. Denmark tops air quality due to its action on climate change & energy. Denmark is a world leader in developing new technologies in wind energy. Denmark has been the first to install World leading wind energy industries. Today, almost 40% of Denmark’s energy is obtained from wind turbines. By 2020, the country aims to get 50% of energy from wind, this would contribute to Denmark’s 2050 goal. The industries also provide employment to a huge number of people and result in good turnover every year. Also, Denmark’s cycling culture is another example of an environmentally sustainable society. Denmark ranks top in air quality. The capital of the country, Copenhagen alone has around 400 km of cycle paths. Almost 40% of the city’s population travel via bicycle. Copenhagen can be a role model for world’s big cities in the field of sustainable development. In Denmark, a lot of people strive to create a better environment by developing new and greener ways of living. The integration of development and environmental concern has helped Denmark to get ranked #3 among 180 countries in EPI 2018. 4. Malta: Malta is a small island state with limited resources and high population density. In 2012, Maltese government adopted the Sustainable Development Act which reframed the law and order to mainstream sustainable development in its politics. In 2017, Malta switched its primary source of energy from heavy fuel oil to natural gas. The change in the source of energy was due to the recent construction of a 215-megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine. Currently, 70% of Malta’s energy is obtained from natural gas and remaining from renewable sources. The country’s effort to maintain its water quality has topped its score in water & sanitation. The country is ranked #4 in EPI 2018. Malta would always be committed to continuing its journey to reach the sustainable development goals by 2030. 5. Sweden: Swedish cities have taken steps to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The country is developing technologies obtain100% of its energy from renewable and recycled sources. Most of the energy sourceis from harnessing heat and sunlight. The construction of “Passive houses” has reduced energy consumption. Passive houses are low-energy residences that can power themselves by using heat energy from human activities, electric appliances, and sunlight. Passive houses have built in Sweden. Example of passive buildings is the geothermal system in place at Stockholm’s Central Station which captures body heat from over 250,000 daily commuters. The innovative initiative taken by Sweden to protect the environment has rewarded the country # 5 in EPI 2018. Something common about the top 5 countries is that all are European countries. All these countries are developing technologies and policies to meet the environmental goals. It is important that other countries follow a similar pattern to develop environmental sustainability. At the top bottom of EPI 2018 , we have Nepal, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, and Burundi. Low scores in EPI represent that the national efforts are not enough to meet the standard goals in fields like air quality, biodiversity, and reducing emissions. These developing countries may have a lot of other problems and milestones to achieve but, environmental factors will hinder their development strategies. Better late than never, countries need to take up immediate actions to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. We can use one of these top countries as model and advocate for such environmental development in our home country. Source of Article and photo: https://buzzonearth.com/sustainable-countries/
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11 Comments
Greeting israel
I hope you are doing well
Nicely written
Thank you so much for this report.
Keep writing
Green cheers!
Regards
Basanta
Posted 23-03-2020 11:12
Greeting israel
I hope you are doing well!
Thank you so much for this report!
Keep writing
Green cheers
Regards
Hema
Posted 22-03-2020 11:17
Hello israel
I hope you are doing well
Thank you so much for this report.
Regards
Sus
Posted 29-02-2020 21:25
Hello Israel, I did not know much about Malta but I got to learn more about it as your report hopefully covered it :)
Securing environmental values is not easy and requires time and money, human resources to cover up and make it clear out of pollution. Though EPI-matching countries are not still many as we do wish now, hope we can look forward to more countries enlisted in such list!
Thanks for your report :)
Posted 13-01-2019 23:12
Hello Israel
This report has shown us great exemplars of what a nation could do to improve environmental issues.
However, it is also true that as the report points out, these cases are quite concentrated in a certain European area. To aim for a more globally balanced increasing of the EPI score, it would be even better if every nation could cooperate to supplement each other.
Thanks for sharing :)
Posted 13-01-2019 00:20
thanks Kushal and Deepak. I hope our countries rise to the challenge
Posted 10-01-2019 06:29
Thank you for the report mentioning the environmentally performed countries Israel
It is sad to see our country to be among the bottom countries. Political instability has led to great impact to the nation. Although being rich in Natural Resources, we are lacking behind due to lack of strict national policy and lack of awareness among the people.
Such ranking helps the country to enhance their activities and better their ranking.
Keep writing great reports.
Green cheers :) :)
Posted 10-01-2019 02:10
Hello Israel
Thank you so much for this beautiful report
We must learn from this country, Very inspiring
Keep writing
Posted 09-01-2019 20:02
You're welcome :D
Take care!
Posted 09-01-2019 19:29
Very true Rosa. The development if those countries is holistic.
I hope our nations catch up with them too.
I'm good, thanks for the comment and checking up on me.
Posted 09-01-2019 17:06
Good day Israel!
I trust you are well this morning.
These 5 countries are a true example of how other countries should perform - as you mentioned in your report. Notice how the top performing countries are from the first World and the least performing from third world countries? It shows you how far these countries are not just with regards to bringing forth a sustainable, environmentally developed nation,but other aspects such as their economical growth, infrastructure, health and food security.
Nevertheless, we can learn many things from these prevailing countries.
Thank you so much for your report update Israel!
Stay blessed!
Rosa.
Posted 09-01-2019 16:00