Norway is Europe’s ‘greenest’ country, a study by solar panel manufacturer Hemsol has found, using data from the European Environment Agency, the Odyssee-Mure Project and the Energy Institute.
According to the study, which uses renewable energy share, recycling rates, carbon dioxide emissions and more to create an index, Norway scores 73.3 out of 100, as a result of its high renewable energy share. Factors weighing on its score, however, include high carbon emissions per capita and large amounts of farmland.
In second place, with a score of 68.89, is Austria, which boasts the highest share of passenger traffic on public transport in Europe, as well as the second highest score in terms of recycling rates. However, the country ranks sixth in terms of carbon emissions.
In third place, with a score of 62.31, is Finland, the government of which recently enacted a new Climate Act, which establishes revised emission reduction objectives for 2030 and 2050, while also updating the target for 2050. According to the new Act, Finland is on course to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
Iceland (62.13), with one of the lowest carbon dioxide emission rates in Europe, is fourth, while Sweden (62.05), which has a high rate of woodland area and the second-best share of renewable energy use, rounds off the top five.
‘Commitment to the environmental cause’
“It’s interesting to see how six of the countries in the top 10 are Northern European and how all Scandinavian countries figure in the top five,” commented William Bergmark, founder of Hemsol.
“This is a testament to their commitment to the environmental cause more than anyone else in Europe, and this can be seen both in the data and in the practical regulations that they have put in place both at home and that they have pledged to help with internationally.”
Other countries to feature in the top ten include Estonia, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Slovenia.
In compiling the data, Hemsol collected data on various factors, including the percentage of renewable energy share, municipal waste recycling rates, the percentage of public transport share in total passenger traffic, woodland and farmland area, and carbon dioxide emissions per capita for each state. A scoring system ranging from 0 to 10 was applied to each factor.
Top 10 Greenest Countries in Europe
| Rank | Country | Score/100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 73.30 |
| 2 | Austria | 68.89 |
| 3 | Finland | 62.31 |
| 4 | Iceland | 62.13 |
| 5 | Sweden | 62.05 |
| 6 | Estonia | 54.66 |
| 7 | Germany | 52.06 |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 51.83 |
| 9 | Switzerland | 51.75 |
| 10 | Slovenia | 51.63 |
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