According to the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) published every two years, Denmark stands out among 180 countries as the most environmentally friendly country in the world.
Miami, FL (Merxwire) – “Environmentally friendly” has been an issue that has attracted everyone’s attention in recent years. More and more countries have taken measures to reduce their carbon footprint and prevent climate change, hoping to make the world more environmentally friendly. According to the latest EPI results, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Finland are the top three greenest countries in the world.
Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today. The impact of climate change is felt across the globe. Extreme weather and natural disasters are increasing rapidly, and ecological crises are becoming increasingly severe. Although countries worldwide are gradually paying attention to environmental protection issues, their efforts differ. Yale University and Columbia University recently released the 2022 EPI, ranking countries through 11 categories and 40 environmental indicators. Denmark can be called the “most environmentally friendly” country in the world, followed by the United Kingdom and Finland.
What is the EPI? Compiled by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, it uses statistical methods to assess a country’s performance in protecting its natural environment from pollution. There are 11 categories and 40 environmental indicators, which mainly evaluate a country’s efforts in the ecological environment system, including the impact of government policies on the environment, residents’ health, and the national ecosystem. EPI is the sum of the scores of these indicators.
Denmark is ranked as the greenest country in the world, with an EPI score of 77.9 and high ratings in the “Biodiversity and Habitat” and “Air Quality” categories. In addition, Denmark has long been concerned about sustainability issues, advocating products such as environmentally friendly hotels, solar boats, and organic food and promoting policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is regarded as one of the countries expected to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Other countries in the top ten are the United Kingdom (77.7), Finland (76.5), Malta (75.2), Sweden (72.7), Luxembourg (72.3), Slovenia (67.3), Austria (66.5), Switzerland (65.9) and Iceland (62.9).
At present, about 60% of the countries in the world have begun to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and move towards the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement. The research team pointed out that after these ten years of hard work, many countries have made significant progress in environmental protection, especially in sanitation, drinking water, biodiversity, and habitat conservation, which have grown much faster than in the past.
Alex de Sherbinin, a scholar who wrote the EPI report and a senior researcher at Columbia University, believes that the state’s role is vital for environmental sustainability. The management methods and policy implementation of the rulers, or targeted investments in the environmental field, are essential keys to promoting the sustainable development of various countries.