Northern Europe the place to be for environmental protection

A new study of different nations’ environmental protection has been released today prior to the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The report is different to previous analysis by the same authors from Yale and Columbia universities in that it ranks countries according to how well they are performing environmentally, bearing in mind the general situation that they face. Articles from The Guardian and International Herald Tribune explain more, and quote the report – I cannot presently find the original report online.

The unsurprising result is that countries in Northern Europe do very well in the overall rankings, with Sweden in second place and Finland in third. Sweden also tops the table for environmental health – one for B√?st i v√?rlden.

The surprising result is, however, that the UK manages to reach 5th place in the table. The report’s authors are keen to point out that the tables chart what governments are doing, rather than the overall environmental situation a country is facing. They rightly point out that the UK scores low on sustainability becuase most of its forests were cut down 500 years ago and the present government can do nothing about that. Nevertheless, with poor air quality in the south east of the UK, and many difficulties with our waste and recycling systems, the high score does seem somewhat optimistic.