According to researchers from Yale and Columbia universities, the world’s greenest nations are all in Europe. The ranking is done every two years by the researchers to measure the eco-friendliness of 180 countries worldwide, from Albania to Zimbabwe.
Known as the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), the findings are based a nation’s “environmental health and ecosystem vitality” using 32 major sustainability factors. The EPI scores include scores from different aspects such as air and water quality, carbon dioxide emissions, waste management, and other public health factors.
According to the results, the world’s top ten greenest nations include (in order) Denmark, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Germany. Japan placed 12th, Australia 13th, Canada 20th, the United States 24th, South Korea 28th, and Singapore 39th. The worst performers according to the index (in ascending order) are Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Liberia in the 180th place.
According to the research, the top-performing countries paid attention to all areas of sustainability. Nevertheless, it claims that even those in the top ranks still have certain issues to work on and that no nation in the world can take a full sustainable track.
Some people believe that the US’s relatively poor ranking can be due to former president Trump’s dismantling of environmental protection amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts believe that the nation’s rank simply shows its worsening environmental and sustainability problems. “During the Covid-19 lockdown, US federal agencies have eased fuel-efficiency standards for new cars,” The Guardian reports, while easing EPA rules and enforcement on air and water quality.
Top placer Denmark, on the other hand, has been consistent in displaying its commitment to different initiatives that promote cleaner and greener ways to combat climate change. Based on the reports, the high scores of the country is due to its existing policies and programs for natural resources preservation, greenhouse gas emissions control, and public health protection.
According to sustainability consultants for schools, Denmark should be a role model for other nations to not just improve their ranks on the EPI, but more importantly to help in preserving and protecting the planet from degradation.