Humans have made some outstanding achievements in the last few hundred years, we’ve discovered electricity, we’ve put humans on the moon, we’ve figured out the internal combustion engine and we’ve split the atom. Along with these outstanding accomplishments, humans have also emerged at being absolutely outstanding at something else, destroying things and unless we quickly learn how to not be so good at destroying things, we are going to, piece by piece, take apart the very planet that we are living on. Thankfully for the human race, there are many countries who don’t sign up to doing their best to wipe us all out and make conscious efforts to keep things as green as possible and here are the top 10.
Finland
Thousands of lakes, 78% tree coverage, wilderness and a sparse population with a conscious mindset to respect the beautiful natural landscape that they possess puts Finland at top spot as the greenest country on the planet.
Iceland
With a tourism board that fights tooth and nail to maintain its green credentials and heavy investment into the environment, Iceland makes it into number 2 spot for green countries. Iceland is a land filled with beautiful mountains, natural springs and large lakes, it has strict regulations on factories and carbon monoxide emissions to keep its green status.
Denmark
Not only is Denmark one of the greenest countries in the World but they are considered as one of the top teachers of eco-friendly courses in the World aswell. The energy policy in Denmark has remained rigid for more than 30 years and they have reduced their greenhouse gasses by more than half since 2010.
Sweden
Sweden have consistently met obligations laid out by protocols such as that in Kyoto in 1990, any UN requirements have been met with ease by the Scandinavian country who put environmental and energy issues at the top of their priorities at government level. If you ever visit Sweden there are many great places to stay such as The Guestroom – Bed and breakfast in Stockholm.
Slovenia
Slovenia has made huge efforts to bring down their emissions and encourage greener trade through embracing its traditions. Clothing, food and ways of life are all geared around using less energy or more natural resources. The country’s universities offer lots of environmental courses and the locals are very keen to protect the natural beauty that the country has.
Spain
Spain have achieved their green status through heavy investment into reducing their emissions and their greenhouse gasses by almost 65% in the last decade. The installation of more parks and tree planting incentives have also helped to achieve Spain’s green status, a monumental achievement.
Portugal
Portugal, like Spain, have also invested heavily to meet the agreement which they made as part of the Kyoto Protocol. They have tightened up on regulations for factories and their emissions as well as implementing new laws on car usage in big cities.
Estonia
Estonia is made up of 55% forest and its inhabitants generally live in remote areas, there are few huge cities and the tourism board invests heavily in keeping its greenest areas well protected and away from industry.
Malta
Malta has a small population and lots of uninhabited areas which help to contribute to its green status. Malta has been classed as one of the most environmentally aware nations in the World and puts emphasis on the environment through education.
France
From the encouragement of cycling in Paris to the new initiative around the country that is turning rooftops into grassy spaces, France is cementing itself as one of the World’s greenest countries. The government has implemented a bio-protection agency that works hard on maintaining natural wildlife areas and green belt land.