Top Green countries of the World

[Sue Miles]

Our planet is getting hotter each passing day and the efforts we are taking to slow down the climate change is looking well short of enough each passing day. The threat posed by the climate change is immense and although world leaders are aware of this fact, the steps taken are in the right direction but the pace at which they are taken is really slow.

Recently, the ‘Climate Change Performance Index 2015’ (CCPI) assessed the green credentials of 58 countries which are accountable for over 90 percent of global energy-related CO₂ emissions. This index is produced by lobbying groups Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe and uses standardized criteria to assess the performance of each country with respect to climate change and the efforts put in by them to protect the climate.

Perhaps the most fascinating outcome of the index is that no countries are featured in the top 3 of the list. According to CCPI, the efforts put in by the countries are nowhere near where it should be and hence the highest place is managed by Denmark which stands at 4^th. It comes as no surprise that top 10 of the list is dominated by European countries. The United States managed to occupy a dismal 44^th spot, one place above China.

The UK managed to get on the 5^th spot as they have shown a range of initiatives in order to reduce emissions and the country plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 from a 1990 baseline. Although they have shown some conservative approach in the last year, the government is well on track to follow the world’s first legally binding climate change target.

According to CCPI, Sweden has cut down its greenhouse gas emission by about 70 percent in the last five years and it further plans to cut 40 percent by 2020. The country is looking to derive at least half of its energy from renewable sources. And for the third year in running, Denmark came top in the rankings. The country’s greenhouse gas emissions have seen steady decline since 1997 and they are well on track to generate half of its electricity from wind energy by 2020. 

[Ruthanne Hort]

Every country should work on increasing the green plants and trees to reduce the increase in temperature that will automatically reduce global warming. We should also reduce the use of fuels and things that work by burning fuels, it will be an effective step to reduce climate changes on earth.

[JenniferHahnMasterson]

quite an interesting read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.