When you wake up and step outside, you hope that the air is clean, the ground is clear,
and the world feels taken care of.
But which countries actually do the best job of keeping things tidy?
Some of the cleanest countries on Earth might just surprise you.
In 2018, the Environmental Performance Index ranked Spain as the 12th cleanest country
in the world, but we should expect it to rise even higher in the years to come.
The European country is shooting to go fully renewable, and thus become carbon neutral,
by as soon as 2050.
This will take some work, as it means seriously upping wind and solar capacity on a yearly
basis, plus banning new licenses for fossil fuels and fracking.
But Spain is definitely investing the necessary funds to make it happen.
The country has reserved 47 billion euros for public investment in environmental causes,
and it's also discussed issuing green bonds to help businesses commit to environmental
reforms.
This environmental commitment has also helped Spain in the health arena.
According to the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, Spain topped the
charts as the world's healthiest country in 2019.
This is partly due to environmental factors like sanitation and clean water.
By 2040 Spain is forecast to have the highest lifespan, at almost 86 years.
No one should be surprised to see Iceland on a list of the world's cleanest countries.
While other nations are striving to implement more renewable energy sources, Iceland is
already cracking away with almost 100 percent renewable energy.
Partly that's thanks to all the volcanoes.
"The volcano known as Eyja, Eyja-"
Nine out of every ten Icelandic homes are directly heated by geothermal energy, due
to the country's unique positioning between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Also, 11 percent of the country is covered by glaciers, which leads to seasonal melt
that runs down the mountains and funnels into Iceland's hydropower industry.
These amazing achievements can make it hard to remember that back in the 1970s Iceland
was a pretty heavy consumer of fossil fuels.
Needless to say, the country's subsequent investments into geothermal energy and hydropower
have turned that pollution-belching ship around in a big way.
No country is perfect, though.
According to Iceland's climate action plan, the wetlands drained in the 1900s are a major
source of carbon dioxide emissions, so the government is currently embarking on a major
wetland restoration effort.
All in all, Iceland aims to be carbon neutral by 2040.
Finland is another country that is regularly recognized as a worldwide leader in environmental
performance and progression, and it more than earns its reputation.
In 2018, a study by the World Health Organization found that Finland possessed the cleanest
air on the planet.
This is most likely attributable to the country's strong environmental regulations, investments
in renewable energy, promotion of electric cars, and a policy emphasis on protecting
the natural environment.
Finland even plans on ramping things up in the coming years.
In the country's 2019 parliamentary elections, the issue of climate change sprang up as the
number one concern of Finnish voters.
A staggering 70 percent of those surveyed said that the new government had to do more
to combat climate change, and 80 percent stated that the need for such action was urgent.
This widespread demand for faster climate action has encouraged the Finnish government
to reach carbon neutrality by 2035 and become a fossil-free society.
When you think of Ireland, you probably think of green, green, and more green.
As it happens, this land of lush greenery does rather well on the environmental cleanliness
rankings.
Ireland is fully aware that those rolling emerald landscapes are its key tourist attractions,
and keeping a clean, natural environment is important for the future of the country.
However, if Ireland wants to retain its place as a top country in the area of environmental
friendliness, it has some work to do, according to the European Commission.
All that natural beauty isn't going to protect itself, and while Ireland's soil is in good
condition, one-fifth of the terrain is categorized as peatland, which stores carbon.
When peatland is damaged, it becomes a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, even though Ireland is supposed to be cutting its emissions by 20 percent
in 2020, the country is currently looking at a cut of only one percent, at best.
If Ireland wants to achieve its goal of decarbonizing the Irish economy by 2050, it needs to reverse
all of its current trends.
So the Irish will have to move fast if they want to keep all that green from going brown.
Austria is known for its beautiful mountains, an array of famous locals, and its stringent
environmental standards, which have produced a nation that ranks highly on the Environmental
Performance Index.
Even compared to most other European countries, Austria is quite aggressive in how it limits
airborne pollutants, regulates pesticides, and handles chemicals, waste, and other environmental
hazards.
It recycles more of its waste than any other European country, and it has the highest proportion
of organic land on the continent.
While many countries have only recently instituted rigorous environmental policies, Austria got
started on these issues way back in the 1970s.
Nonetheless, the country's future cleanliness does face threats.
Forest degradation is a real issue, and while conditions in the Danube River have improved
in recent decades, there's still work to be done in terms of overfishing and overpollution.
Luxembourg might not be a country you'd expect to see ranked as one of the world's cleanest,
as it's got a nasty history with oil and natural gas.
Back in 2016, it barely broke into the top 20 Environmental Performance Index rankings.
These days, the picture has dramatically changed.
Now ranking in seventh place on the EPI, Luxembourg has taken advantage of its tiny size to implement
ambitious climate policies.
One example is an environmental tax known as the "Kyoto cent," which is a charge on
fuel sales funneled directly into Luxembourg's climate funds.
Luxembourg is also cutting down on its infamous congestion levels, and resulting carbon emissions,
by implementing free public transportation throughout the country.
If your mental image of London is still tainted by a Dickensian portrait of starving orphans
and sooty black skies, you might be surprised to learn that the Brits have turned things
around in a huge way since way back then.
These days, the United Kingdom is ranked as one of the most environmentally friendly countries.
One notable achievement happened in May 2019, when Britain went an entire week without burning
a single piece of coal to generate electricity for the first time since 1882.
Impressive as that may sound, the U.K. considers it merely par for the course.
The nation aims to ditch coal power altogether by 2025.
Meanwhile, Brits also shooting for the end of new gas and diesel-fueled automobile sales
by 2040, as well as cutting the effects of air pollution in half by 2030.
They also want to move to zero avoidable waste by 2050, and do everything they can to ensure
a cleaner, fresher future for everyone around.
When all is said and done, the Brits hope to become entirely carbon neutral by 2050.
When it comes to environmental achievements, Sweden has been knocking it out of the park.
The country hopes to be completely free of fossil fuels by 2040, and they've already
made serious headway toward that landmark.
The year 2015 alone saw over half of Sweden's energy coming from renewable resources such
as wind and hydropower.
The rest came from nuclear power, but in the near future, Sweden aims to phase out that
energy source in favor of more wind.
Perhaps the best measure of Sweden's environmental success is the astonishing fact that while
many other countries have struggled to keep up with their climate benchmarks, Sweden achieved
its 2030 goals a full 12 years early.
That's a big deal, and as Sweden continues to build more renewable energy architecture
at a quickening pace, its future looks clean and bright.
The Mediterranean island nation of Malta didn't used to be well-known for its environmental
bona fides, but in recent years, it has seen a slew of positive green developments.
According to Malta Today, there have been significant improvements in areas like air
quality, biodiversity, and less infringements upon the natural environment, with only two
negative incidents recorded since 2015.
Meanwhile, Malta International Airport has worked hard to reduce its carbon footprint
year after year, with big investments in renewable energy equipment.
However, if Malta wants to keep on improving, a tough road lies ahead.
A rapid population growth has caused higher electricity use, and an increase in private
cars on the road has highlighted the need for public transport alternatives.
Plus, with many new developments on virgin land and the fact that Malta recycles only
seven percent of its waste, it's clear that this country still has plenty of work to do.
If you want to talk about renewable energy, take a look at Denmark, the third cleanest
country on the globe.
Back on one particularly blustery day in 2015, Denmark's wind turbines were able to produce
140 percent of the entire country's electricity needs.
80 percent of the excess power was donated to Germany and Norway, while Sweden got the
remaining 20 percent.
So Denmark is like the awesome neighbor who mows your lawn.
Not every day is quite so windy as that one, but examples like this prove that the vision
of a world powered by renewable energy isn't some utopian fantasy, but rather, a real thing
that can be legitimately achieved.
By 2035, Denmark hopes to have 84 percent of its regular electrical needs coming from
wind power, and Danes are striving to make heavy investments in the environmental sector.
The capital city of Copenhagen has already cut its emissions by 42 percent since 2005,
and Mayor Frank Jensen hopes to have an entirely carbon-neutral Copenhagen by 2025.
The Paris Agreement happened in Paris, France for a reason.
As of 2019, the land of the world's best cheese and wine is aiming to double its renewables
capacity under a new ten-year energy plan.
Basically, that means that France is boosting solar, wind, and hydropower, cutting down
on its nuclear reactors, and making a cleaner future happen faster.
The country is also planning to officially ban the sales of new gas and diesel cars by
2040, in the hope of being carbon neutral by 2050.
That's a nice picture of the future.
As for the present, France has risen to become the world's most sustainable country, thanks
to proactively taking on eco-farming initiatives, fixing food waste issues, and promoting healthier
lifestyles.
As for farming, France hopes that the majority of its farmers will sign onto a new policy
by 2025 that includes practices such as cutting back on chemical fertilizer use and rotating
crops to promote more fertile soil.
Finally, we come to Switzerland, which the Environmental Performance Index ranks as the
most environmentally friendly country in the world.
This is largely due to the country's aggressive climate change laws, clean air, and biodiversity.
Of course, this cleanliness didn't happen by itself.
It's mostly due to a high investment in sanitation.
Switzerland has one of the world's highest waste recycling rates, and it's a worldwide
leader in developing innovative green technologies.
One recent example of this was demonstrated in 2018 when the small Swiss firm Climeworks
AG won $31 million to invest into technologies that suck carbon dioxide right out of the
air.
Most importantly, the Swiss don't sit by the sidelines when it comes to enacting climate
change initiatives.
In 2017, Swiss voters mobilized in support of the government's plan to provide billions
of dollars to renewable energies, as well as banning nuclear power plants.
So while Switzerland might be a seriously clean place to live in the present day, the
future of this mountainous country is primed to be even cleaner.
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