Ocean Mist

Issues and trends shaping our environment, health and economy

20 Apr 2020

Greener countries

Posted by Michael Keating

The greatest long-term challenge countries face is moving to a sustainable lifestyle. An article on the BBC website takes a look at countries that are doing well. Drawing from the Good Country Index, the BBC highlighted five countries that are tackling climate change. The highest ranking goes to Norway which runs almost entirely on hydro-electric power and has very high sales of electric cars, although it is also a major producer of oil. Portugal ranks high because of a large number of electric car charging stations and support for citizens to install renewable energy systems. Uruguay has become a leader for renewable energy and has been praised for its social and environmental policies. Kenya is already struggling with the effects of climate change, including more extreme weather and droughts. It has one of the world’s strongest bans on plastic bags. New Zealand also has controls on plastic bags, and is working for carbon neutrality although its large cattle and sheep farms produce methane, a greenhouse gas. While the list is not exhaustive, it gives an interesting perspective on how countries from around the world are trying to improve their environmental performance.

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