Finland is the greenest country in the world

According to the environmental performance index 2016, Finland is the greenest country in the world. Finland is followed by Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia. The environmental performance index (EPI) ranks countries’ performance on environmental issues in two areas: protection of human health and protection of ecosystems. The index is created by Yale and Columbia universities along with the World Economic Forum. EPI is constructed through the calculation and aggregation of nine issues that include more than 20 indicators.

According to the report, Finland’s top ranking is mostly based on country’s societal commitment to achieve carbon-neutral society that does not exceed nature’s carrying capacity by 2050. The report indicates that Finland has actionable goals and measurable indicators of sustainable development. Finland performed very well in the areas of health impacts, water and sanitation, and biodiversity and habitat.

Generally speaking the report shows that world is making progress addressing some environmental issues while others have worsened considerably. There are promising trends in health impacts, access to drinking water and in access to sanitation. Air quality and fisheries, however, exhibit troubling declines.

Source: http://www.goodnewsfinland.com, 27 January 2016