The top ten most environmentally friendly countries in 2022 as reported by World Population Review are quite similar to the same list for the previous two years.
“Environmentally friendly countries—alternately known as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, or green countries—are those that engage in processes and practices that minimize harm to ecosystems and the environment”.
Environmentally friendly practices are sustainable, meaning they can be carried out on an ongoing basis with little to no negative impact on the world around them. The term “environmentally friendly” is often also applied to goods and services, laws, guidelines, and policies that inflict minimal (or no) damage upon the environment and ecosystems. Environmentally friendly products, processes, and practices impose no harm to the natural environment, help conserve resources like water and energy, and do not contribute to air, water, and land pollution.
The Environmental Performance Index: How To Measure A Country’s Environmental Friendliness
Compiled annually by Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law & Policy, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a statistical method of computing the collective environmental impact of all of a country’s policies combined.
- The 2020 Environmental Performance Index ranked 180 countries across 32 performance indicators related to environmental health and ecosystem vitality, from the amount of particulate pollution in the air and the purity of drinking water to the health of fish stocks and the management of wetlands.
- The EPI grades each country’s environmental trends and progress, which provides a foundation from which governments can implement effective environmental policies.
- EPI measurements also enable countries to see how close they are to their established environmental policy goals.
Top 10 Most Environmentally Friendly Countries in the World (EPI score):
- Denmark — 82.5
- Luxembourg — 82.3
- Switzerland — 81.5
- United Kingdom — 81/3
- France — 80
- Austria — 79.6
- Finland — 78.9
- Sweden — 78.7
- Norway — 77.7
- Germany — 77.2
Top 10 Countries for Green Living
Best countries for green living as reported by U.S. News in 2021. These countries are best for offering a healthy body and environment. The concept of individual health tied to the surrounding environment is increasingly being embraced.
- Data sets such as the Environmental Performance Index mentioned above, evaluate the impact government policies have on environmental health, their effects on people, and the vitality of a nation’s ecosystem.
- The 2021 best countries for green living ranking draws from the results of a global perception-based survey, and countries are ranked based on a compilation of three country attributes: caring about the environment, being health conscious, and being innovative.
#1 Sweden- No Change in Rank from 2020
The Kingdom of Sweden, flanked by Norway to the west and the Baltic Sea to the east, expands across much of the Scandinavian Peninsula and is one of the largest countries in the European Union by landmass. Capital city Stockholm was claimed in the 16th century, and border disputes through the Middle Ages established the modern-day nation.
#2 Switzerland- No Change in Rank from 2020
Switzerland officially called the Swiss Federation, is a small country in Central Europe made up of 16,000 square miles of glacier-carved Alps, lakes, and valleys. It’s one of the world’s wealthiest countries and has been well-known for centuries for its neutrality.
#3 Norway- was 5 in 2020
The Kingdom of Norway is the westernmost country in the Scandinavian peninsula, made up mostly of mountainous terrain. Nearly all of its population lives in the south, surrounding the capital, Oslo. Norway’s coastline is made up of thousands of miles of fjords, bays, and island shores. The Norwegians developed a maritime culture, and were active throughout the Viking era, establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland.
#4 Japan– No Change in Rank from 2020
Japan, one of the world’s most literate and technically advanced nations, is an East Asian country made up of four main islands. While most of Japan is covered by mountains and heavily wooded areas, the country’s roughly 126 million people lead a distinctly urban lifestyle. Long culturally influenced by its neighbors, today the country blends its ancient traditions with aspects of Western life.
#5 Finland- was 3 in 2020
Geography defines the history and culture of Nordic Finland, one of the most northern-reaching countries in the world. Bordered by Scandinavia, Russia, the Baltic Sea, and the Gulf of Bothnia, Finland and its vast stretches of heavily forested open land acts as a northern gate between West and East.
#6 Denmark- No Change in Rank from 2020
The Kingdom of Denmark emerged in the 10th century and includes two North Atlantic island nations, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Along with Sweden and Norway, it forms Scandinavia, a cultural region in Northern Europe.
#7 New Zeland- was 11 in 2020
British and Polynesian influences course through picturesque New Zealand, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia. Early Maori settlers ceded sovereignty to British invaders with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, and European settlers flooded in. Today, 70 percent of Kiwis, a common term for the people of New Zealand after a native flightless bird, are of European descent. A sense of pride has surged among the Maori, the country’s first settlers who now account for about 14 percent, as homeland grievances become more openly addressed.
#8 Germany– was 9 in 2020
Germany, the most populous nation in the European Union, possesses one of the largest economies in the world and has seen its role in the international community grow steadily since reunification. The Central European country borders nine nations, and its landscape varies, from the northern plains that reach to the North and Baltic seas to the Bavarian Alps in the south.
#9 Canada– was 10 in 2020
Canada takes up about two-fifths of the North American continent, making it the second-largest country in the world after Russia. The country is sparsely populated, with most of its 35.5 million residents living within 125 miles of the U.S. border. Canada’s expansive wilderness to the north plays a large role in Canadian identity, as does the country’s reputation for welcoming immigrants.
#10 Netherlands– was 7 in 2020
Situated along the fringes of Western Europe, the Netherlands is a coastal lowland freckled with windmills characteristic of its development around the water. Three major European rivers – the Rhine, Meuse, and Schelde – run through it.
For interest’s sake, the United States currently ranks at #24. Thus we have some work to do to reach one of the top ten slots. See how you make a difference in your everyday actions, home life, and community activities.
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