Green

Mapped: The Greenest Countries in the World

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2 years ago

February 25, 2021

Therese Wood

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Mapped: The Greenest Countries in the World

From widening wealth disparity to the environmental ramifications of economic development—the growing focus on global sustainability is a clear sign of the times.

Research reveals that when a sustainable ethos is applied to policy and business, it typically bodes well for economies and people alike. By providing benchmarks for those decisions, indexes like Yale’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) can be critical to measuring national sustainability efforts.

The above map interprets the EPI ranking of 180 economies across 32 environmental health indicators by narrowing in on the top 40 greenest countries.

Who’s the Greenest of them All?

Despite the decades-long trend of globalization, national environmental policies have proved to be widely divergent. The EPI report confirms that those policies—and their positive results—are highly correlated with national wealth.

This is evidenced in the global EPI distributions, seen below:

OVERALL RANK	COUNTRY	SCORE	REGIONAL RANK
1	Denmark	82.5	1
2	Luxembourg	82.3	2
3	Switzerland	81.5	3
4	United Kingdom	81.3	4
5	France	80	5
6	Austria	79.6	6
7	Finland	78.9	7
8	Sweden	78.7	8
9	Norway	77.7	9
10	Germany	77.2	10
11	Netherlands	75.3	11
12	Japan	75.1	1
13	Australia	74.9	12
14	Spain	74.3	13
15	Belgium	73.3	14
16	Ireland	72.8	15
17	Iceland	72.3	16
18	Slovenia	72	1
19	New Zealand	71.3	17
20	Canada	71	18
21	Czech Republic	71	2
22	Italy	71	18
23	Malta	70.7	20
24	United States of America	69.3	21
25	Greece	69.1	3
26	Slovakia	68.3	4
27	Portugal	67	22
28	South Korea	66.5	2
29	Israel	65.8	1
30	Estonia	65.3	5
31	Cyprus	64.8	6
32	Romania	64.7	7
33	Hungary	63.7	8
34	Croatia	63.1	9
35	Lithuania	62.9	10
36	Latvia	61.6	11
37	Poland	60.9	12
38	Seychelles	58.2	1
39	Singapore	58.1	3
40	Taiwan	57.2	4
41	Bulgaria	57	13
42	United Arab Emirates	55.6	2
43	North Macedonia	55.4	14
44	Chile	55.3	1
45	Serbia	55.2	15
46	Brunei Darussalam	54.8	5
47	Kuwait	53.6	3
48	Jordan	53.4	4
49	Belarus	53	1
50	Colombia	52.9	2
51	Mexico	52.6	3
52	Costa Rica	52.5	4
53	Armenia	52.3	2
54	Argentina	52.2	5
55	Brazil	51.2	6
56	Bahrain	51	5
57	Ecuador	51	7
58	Russia	50.5	3
59	Venezuela	50.3	8
60	Ukraine	49.5	4
61	Uruguay	49.1	9
62	Albania	49	16
63	Antigua and Barbuda	48.5	10
64	Cuba	48.4	11
65	St. Vincent and Grenadines	48.4	11
66	Jamaica	48.2	13
67	Iran	48	6
68	Malaysia	47.9	6
69	Trinidad and Tobago	47.5	14
70	Panama	47.3	15
71	Tunisia	46.7	7
72	Azerbaijan	46.5	5
73	Paraguay	46.4	16
74	Dominican Republic	46.3	17
75	Montenegro	46.3	17
76	Gabon	45.8	2
77	Barbados	45.6	18
78	Bosnia and Herzegovina	45.4	18
79	Lebanon	45.4	8
80	Thailand	45.4	7
81	Suriname	45.2	19
82	Mauritius	45.1	3
83	Tonga	45.1	8
84	Algeria	44.8	9
85	Kazakhstan	44.7	6
86	Dominica	44.6	20
87	Moldova	44.4	7
88	Bolivia	44.3	21
89	Uzbekistan	44.3	8
90	Peru	44	22
91	Saudi Arabia	44	10
92	Turkmenistan	43.9	9
93	Bahamas	43.5	23
94	Egypt	43.3	11
95	El Salvador	43.1	24
96	Grenada	43.1	24
97	Saint Lucia	43.1	24
98	South Africa	43.1	4
99	Turkey	42.6	19
100	Morocco	42.3	12
101	Belize	41.9	27
102	Georgia	41.3	10
103	Botswana	40.4	5
104	Namibia	40.2	6
105	Kyrgyzstan	39.8	11
106	Iraq	39.5	13
107	Bhutan	39.3	1
108	Nicaragua	39.2	28
109	Sri Lanka	39	2
110	Oman	38.5	14
111	Philippines	38.4	9
112	Burkina Faso	38.3	7
113	Malawi	38.3	7
114	Tajikistan	38.2	12
115	Equatorial Guinea	38.1	9
116	Honduras	37.8	29
117	Indonesia	37.8	10
118	Kiribati	37.7	11
119	São Tomé and Príncipe	37.6	10
120	China	37.3	12
121	Samoa	37.3	12
122	Qatar	37.1	15
123	Zimbabwe	37	11
124	Central African Republic	36.9	12
125	Dem. Rep. Congo	36.4	13
126	Guyana	35.9	30
127	Maldives	35.6	3
128	Uganda	35.6	14
129	Timor-Leste	35.3	14
130	Laos	34.8	15
131	Sudan	34.8	16
132	Kenya	34.7	15
133	Zambia	34.7	15
134	Ethiopia	34.4	17
135	Fiji	34.4	16
136	Mozambique	33.9	18
137	Eswatini	33.8	19
138	Rwanda	33.8	19
139	Cambodia	33.6	17
140	Cameroon	33.6	21
141	Viet Nam	33.4	18
142	Pakistan	33.1	4
143	Micronesia	33	19
144	Cabo Verde	32.8	22
145	Nepal	32.7	5
146	Papua New Guinea	32.4	20
147	Mongolia	32.2	21
148	Comoros	32.1	23
149	Guatemala	31.8	31
150	Tanzania	31.1	24
151	Nigeria	31	25
152	Marshall Islands	30.8	22
153	Niger	30.8	26
154	Republic of Congo	30.8	26
155	Senegal	30.7	28
156	Eritrea	30.4	29
157	Benin	30	30
158	Angola	29.7	31
159	Togo	29.5	32
160	Mali	29.4	33
161	Guinea-Bissau	29.1	34
162	Bangladesh	29	6
163	Vanuatu	28.9	23
164	Djibouti	28.1	35
165	Lesotho	28	36
166	Gambia	27.9	37
167	Mauritania	27.7	38
168	Ghana	27.6	39
169	India	27.6	7
170	Burundi	27	40
171	Haiti	27	32
172	Chad	26.7	41
173	Solomon Islands	26.7	24
174	Madagascar	26.5	42
175	Guinea	26.4	43
176	Côte d'Ivoire	25.8	44
177	Sierra Leone	25.7	45
178	Afghanistan	25.5	8
179	Myanmar	25.1	25
180	Liberia	22.6	46

Regional grouping in the report include: Global West, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Former Soviet States, Greater Middle East, Latin America & Caribbean, Southern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa

Scandinavian countries, which tend to have a high GDP per capita, show strong and consistent results across EPI parameters. Denmark for instance—which ranks first overall—leads the world in slowing its growth in CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, neighbor Sweden leads in landfill and recycling treatment, while wastewater treatment is led by a handful of countries within and beyond Scandinavia including Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Sweden.

In North America, Canada claims top spot in the biodiversity and habitat category, while the U.S. ranks sixth in agricultural diversity globally. In Asia, Singapore leads the world in fishery health and sustainability.

Ultimately, it appears the world’s greenest countries tend to focus on all areas of sustainability, while laggard countries show more uneven performance across categories.

What Does “Green” Mean?

Each high-level performance indicator with the EPI, like “environmental health”, is broken into subsections. Nations are scored on each subsector on a scale up to 100. As a result, multiple countries can rank first in any given category.

By evaluating national sustainability on a scale that is unrelated to other nations, we get a clearer idea of comparative national progress, beyond a basic ranking.

For instance, 30 countries tie for first in marine protection, all with scores of 100. This shows that many economies are prioritizing this area of sustainability.

The EPI categories and subsectors are shown in the diagram below:

Greenest Countries in the World Supplemental EPI Index

Each section is weighted differently, and is reflected as a percentage within the index. For example, Ecosystem Vitality accounts for 60% of the EPI, Climate Change makes up 24% of a country’s score, and CO2 emission reduction is weighted at 13.2%.

The Cost of Being Green

Infrastructure costs are one reason why wealthier nations tend to fare better across sustainability measures. Everything from air pollution reduction and water treatment, to hazardous waste control and mitigation of public health crises are especially expensive—but have a huge potential impact on citizens.

This trend can be seen the scatterplot, which demonstrates the distribution of economies evaluated by the EPI:

Greenest Countries in the World Main Image Supplemental Comparing GDP to EPI Score

For a more detailed look, the table below highlights the GDP per capita of each of the top 40 greenest countries, based on data from the World Bank and Statista:

COUNTRY	EPI SCORE	GDP Per Capita	RANK
Denmark	82.5	60,170	1
Luxembourg	82.3	114,705	2
Switzerland	81.5	81,994	3
United Kingdom	81.3	42,330	4
France	80	40,494	5
Austria	79.6	50,138	6
Finland	78.9	48,783	7
Sweden	78.7	51,615	8
Norway	77.7	75,420	9
Germany	77.2	46,445	10
Netherlands	75.3	52,331	11
Japan	75.1	40,247	12
Australia	74.9	55,060	13
Spain	74.3	29,600	14
Belgium	73.3	46,421	15
Ireland	72.8	78,661	16
Iceland	72.3	66,945	17
Slovenia	72	25,946	18
New Zealand	71.3	42,084	19
Canada	71	46,195	20
Czech Republic	71	23,495	21
Italy	71	33,228	22
Malta	70.7	29,821	23
United States of America	69.3	65,298	24
Greece	69.1	19,583	25
Slovakia	68.3	19,266	26
Portugal	67	23,252	27
South Korea	66.5	31,846	28
Israel	65.8	43,592	29
Estonia	65.3	23,723	30
Cyprus	64.8	27,858	31
Romania	64.7	12,920	32
Hungary	63.7	16,732	33
Croatia	63.1	14,936	34
Lithuania	62.9	19,602	35
Latvia	61.6	17,829	36
Poland	60.9	15,693	37
Seychelles	58.2	17,448	38
Singapore	58.1	65,233	39
Taiwan	57.2	25,873	40

Despite the strong correlation between GDP per capita and EPI score, developing countries do not have to abandon sustainability efforts. China for instance leads the world in the adoption of electric vehicle technology.

Post-Pandemic Outlook

Although some rankings can seem prosaic, indexes like the EPI provide a helpful benchmark for economies to compare efforts. It also allows governments to iterate and build upon environmental strategies and investments by highlighting what is and isn’t working.

CO2 emissions, for instance, are a major driver of climate change. Although the global economic stall has led to a temporary dip of CO2 emissions in early 2020 (a slower growth rate than the 11% expected rise), global emissions still continue.

However, the EPI shows that investments have impact. High-level sustainability efforts—political commitment, media coverage, regulations—can deliver results, even at the grassroots level.

Related Topics:technology environment co2 transportation oil and gas diesel CO2 emissions GHG emissions dynacert trucking carbon market carbon credits kyoto black carbon carbon footprint ghgs

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Environment

Animation: Visualizing 140 Years of Global Surface Temperatures

Here’s a look at 140 years of global surface temperatures, highlighting the ten coldest and warmest years since 1880.

Creator Program

Published

2 weeks ago

September 23, 2022

Carmen Ang

Average surface temperatures since 1800

Animated: 140 Years of Global Surface Temperatures

For hundreds of years, Earth’s average surface temperature has been steadily increasing. And over the last decade, this global heating appears to have intensified.

Since 1880, the global average temperature has risen by an average of 0.08°C (0.14°F) every 10 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

But since 1981, warming has been occurring at more than twice that rate, by about 0.18°C (0.32°F) per decade.

This graphic by Pablo Alvarez shows 140 years of global surface temperatures, highlighting the 10 coldest and warmest years from 1880-2021 using data from NOAA.

Global Surface Temperatures Over Time

Over the last century and a half, there have been fluctuations in global surface temperatures, with some of the coolest years on record occurring in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Average surface temperature since 1800

However, the last two decades have seen unprecedented warming, with the 10 warmest years on record all occurring within the last 20 years. Here’s a look at the 10 hottest years since 1800, and how they compared to the 20th century average:

The 10 Warmest Years

Rank	Year	Deviation from 20th Century Avg. (°C)
#1	2016	+0.99
#2	2020	+0.97
#3	2019	+0.94
#4	2015	+0.93
#5	2017	+0.9
#6	2018	+0.82
#7	2014	+0.74
#8	2010	+0.72
#9	2013	+0.67
#10	2005	+0.66

As of this article’s publication, the warmest year on record was 2016, when temperatures were +0.99°C (1.78°F) above the 20th century average. After 2016, the second warmest year was 2020, when surface temperatures reached +0.97°C (1.75°F) higher than the previous century’s average.

What Factors Impact Earth’s Climate?

There are a number of natural factors that influence global surface temperatures, including phenomena such as:

Volcanic activity
Changes in the Earth’s orbit
Shifts in ocean currents

However, scientists believe that our current rate of warming has been undoubtedly caused by human influence, especially because of our carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

According to the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “observed increases in well-mixed greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations since around 1750 are unequivocally caused by human activities.”

In other words, while Earth’s surface temperature naturally fluctuates over the years, our actions have undoubtedly contributed to recent changes in Earth’s climate.

What Are The Consequences?

We’re already seeing the impact of this warming, as the world struggles with extreme climate events like droughts, heatwaves, floods, and an influx of wildfires in places like Europe, the United States, and Australia.

These extreme weather patterns could become the new normal if left unchecked, which is why companies and policymakers around the world are embarking on different solutions—from targeting net zero goals to implementing technological innovations that could reduce emissions.

Energy

The U.S. Utilities Decarbonization Index

This graphic quantifies and compares the state of decarbonization among the 30 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States.

Written By

Govind Bhutada

Graphics & Design

Miranda Smith

Published September 20, 2022 • Updated September 21, 2022 •

Introducing the NPUC Annual Utility Decarbonization Report 2022
Created in partnership by Visual Capitalist and Motive Power.

Download the Free Report

The U.S. Utilities Decarbonization Index

With the Biden administration targeting a zero-emissions power sector for the U.S. by 2035, how are the nation’s largest electric power providers faring in terms of decarbonization?

Together, Visual Capitalist and our sponsor National Public Utilities Council have developed the Annual Utility Decarbonization Index. The index quantifies and compares the status of decarbonization among the 30 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States.

Decarbonization is quantified by scoring companies on six emissions-related metrics based on publicly available data from 2020 (the latest available).

Why the 30 Largest IOUs?

Why does the Decarbonization Index specifically look at the 30 largest IOUs by electricity generation?

Well, these 30 utilities collectively generated around 2.3 billion megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity (including purchased power), making up over half of U.S. net electricity generation in 2020. Moreover, they also served over 90 million customers, accounting for roughly 56% of all electric customers in the country.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that the 30 largest IOUs have an important role in decarbonizing both the power sector and the U.S. economy. Since the residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors all use electricity, the decarbonization of utilities—the providers of electric power—can enable emissions reduction throughout the economy.

Decarbonization Index Methodology

For each of the six metrics used in the Decarbonization Index, utilities are scored on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), indicating whether they are trailing or leading, respectively. Scores for each metric are based on the range of figures for each metric divided into five equal buckets that the utilities fall into.

For simplicity, let’s suppose that the lowest reported total emissions figure is zero metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the highest is 100 metric tons. In that case, companies that emit fewer than 20 metric tons of CO₂ will receive the highest score of 5. Those that emit between 20 and 40 metric tons of CO₂ will receive a 4, and so on.

A utility’s overall decarbonization score is an average of their scores across the six metrics, summarized below:

Fuel Mix:
The share of low-carbon sources (renewables, nuclear, and fuel cells) in the utility’s owned net electricity generation. We’ve assumed that the share of low-carbon sources can range from 0% to 100%, and scores are assigned based on that range.
CO₂ Emissions Intensity:
The amount of CO₂ emitted per megawatt-hour of owned and purchased electricity generation.
Total CO₂ Emissions:
The sum of absolute CO₂ emissions from owned and purchased electricity generation. While this overlooks the differing sizes of utilities, the rationale is that smaller unconsolidated utilities may find it easier to decarbonize than larger peers.
CO₂ Emissions per Capita:
The amount of CO₂ emitted from owned and purchased electricity generation per retail customer served in 2020.
Decarbonization Goals:
An evaluation of the utility’s interim greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals and net-zero targets. The baseline for this is 50% GHG emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050 (utilities with baseline targets get a score of 2.5/5).
Low-Carbon Investment:
The share of planned capital expenditure (CAPEX) for electricity generation that is allocated to low-carbon sources. We’ve assumed that the share of CAPEX for low-carbon sources can range from 0% to 100%, and scores are assigned based on that range.

The data for these metrics comes from various sources including company sustainability reports, quantitative reporting templates from the Edison Electric Institute, and the Climate Disclosure Project’s Climate Change Questionnaire filings.

Explore all six metrics of the U.S. Utility Decarbonization Index

Download The NPUC Annual Utility Decarbonization Report for free.

The Annual Utility Decarbonization Index 2022

Before looking at numbers, it’s important to note that the Decarbonization Index is relative and compares the 30 largest IOUs to each other. Therefore, a score of 5 does not indicate full decarbonization or net-zero emissions. Instead, it suggests that the utility is doing particularly well relative to its peers.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the Annual Utility Decarbonization Index 2022:

Rank	Company	Decarbonization Score
#1	Public Service Enterprise Group	4.7
#2	NextEra Energy Resources	4.7
#3	Pacific Gas and Electric	4.5
#4	Avangrid	4.2
#5	Exelon	4.1
#6	Portland General Electric	3.7
#7	Dominion Energy	3.6
#8	Florida Power and Light	3.6
#9	PNM Resources	3.5
#10	Alliant Energy	3.4
#11	Consolidated Edison	3.4
#12	Fortis Inc.	3.4
#13	American Electric Power	3.3
#14	Consumers Energy	3.3
#15	Evergy	3.0
#16	NRG Energy	3.0
#17	AES Corporation	2.9
#18	Xcel Energy	2.9
#19	WEC Energy	2.9
#20	DTE Energy	2.8
#21	Duke Energy	2.8
#22	Entergy	2.8
#23	TransAlta	2.8
#24	Emera	2.7
#25	Ameren	2.6
#26	Berkshire Hathaway Energy	2.5
#27	Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company	2.4
#28	Southern Company	2.3
#29	PPL Corporation	2.2
#30	Vistra Corp.	2.0

A small number of companies did not report data on certain metrics and have been excluded from scoring for those metrics (denoted as N/A). In such cases, the decarbonization score is an average of five metrics instead of six.

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), headquartered in New Jersey, tops this year’s rankings thanks to its low-emissions profile and ambitious climate goals. The company is aiming to achieve net-zero emissions from operations by 2030—five years ahead of the Biden Administration’s target and faster than any other utility on the list.

Tied with PSEG is NextEra Energy Resources, the clean energy-focused subsidiary of NextEra Energy. The company is the world’s largest producer of solar and wind power and generated 97% of its net electricity from low-carbon sources in 2020.

In third place is California’s largest utility, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). PG&E had the lowest emissions per capita of the 30 largest IOUs at 0.5 metric tons of CO₂ per retail customer in 2020. That figure is significantly lower than the average of 11.5 metric tons across the 30 IOUs.

Rounding out the top five are Avangrid, a renewables-focused U.S. subsidiary of the Spanish Iberdrola Group, and Exelon, the nation’s largest utility by number of retail customers. Avangrid had one of the cleanest fuel mixes with 87% of its owned net electricity coming from low-carbon sources. Exelon is the nation’s largest provider of emissions-free electricity, generating around 157 million MWh or 86% of its owned net electricity from nuclear power.

Download the Full Utility Decarbonization Report

While the Decarbonization Index provides a look at the current status of utility decarbonization, there’s much more to uncover in the full report, including:

The obstacles that utilities face on the path to decarbonization
The detailed data behind the six individual metrics
The U.S. utilities ESG report card
The solutions and strategies that can help accelerate decarbonization

>> Click here to download the full report and find out everything you need to know about utility decarbonization.

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