2010 Environmental Performance Index Released.

Green Man: Happy Imbolc!! I am posting this in honor of early shoots of Spring:

Environmental experts at Yale and Columbia universities released their biannual Environmental Performance Index at the World Economic Forum. The index ranks 163 nations according to their performance on 25 indicators that fall into ten policy categories, which are as follow: environmental burden of disease, air pollution (effects on humans), air pollution (effects on ecosystem), water (effects on humans), water (effects on ecosystem), biodiversity and habitat, forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and climate change. Iceland came in first: Iceland snatched the top spot with its performance on environmental public health, controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and reforestation. According to the Iceland Review, the decision ultimately came down to the fact that nearly all the country's energy comes from renewable resources, such as this geothermal plant:

Green Man: In earning my minor degree in Geography at university I took a class on natural energy and did a research paper on Iceland's use of geothermal energy. It may evoke white winter weather but it is one of the "greenest" countries in the world. In the winter the geothermal energy is so abundant that it actually warms up the asphalt roads near these plants, which helps keep them clear of ice. A quarter of Iceland's energy comes from geothermal and it meets the heating and hot water demands of 87% of Icelanders. However, Iceland's green energy doesn't stop there--75.4% of their energy comes from hydroelectric sources and only 0.1% from fossil fuels. It is one of the youngest places on Earth and also one of the most pristine natural environments in the world. So, it's easy to see why this small but technologically advanced country tops the list. Next, is meticulously clean and beautiful Switzerland:They have done much to invest in and build up environmental infrastructure as well as strong and aggressive policies to increase their green energy use and reliance. It is a mountainous country, which gives them a very clean and clear water source and the recreational options in those mountains and hills offer a great quality of life for the Swiss. As of 2007, Switzerland's overall electric production comes primarily from hydropower at 96.5%. In addition, the European alpine country have laid out an aggressive framework for rapidly increasing and investing in green energy:

In a surprising move, Switzerland has adopted one of the world's most aggressive systems of Advanced Renewable Tariffs. The Swiss, famed for conservative traditions, stodgy bankers and trains that run on time, have joined a growing list of countries using feed-in tariffs to promote the rapid development of renewable energy. Not content to start with a timid program incrementally raising the bar year by year, the Swiss federal government this spring launched a full-system of feed-in tariffs differentiated by technology, size and application. There are tariffs, or payments per kilowatt-hour (kWh), for solar photovoltaics, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass.

Green Man: The final one that I'll mention in this post is the only non-European country in the top three--Costa Rica. It is one of the most bio-diverse environments in the world. Costa Rica has invested aggressively in its environmental tourism, which demands protection of their rain forests:

Costa Rica is looking to capitalize on its forests in ways other than eco-tourism. In 2005, Costa Rica joined a coalition of tropical developing countries that proposed a "rainforest conservation for emissions" deal at the December United Nations summit on climate change in Montreal. The plan, which was accepted by the UN, called for wealthy nations to compensate poor nations for rainforest conservation. Costa Rica already had a similar program in place which protected rainforest by selling allowances to emit greenhouses gases. In 1999, the program generated some $20 million.

Green Man: That's a very smart and understandable way to leverage their assets (nature) to gain business from it while protecting it at the same time. They have become leaders in the eco-tourism business and is part of the reason why my wife and I will be going there for our 10th wedding anniversary in April of this year. We're excited to explore the dense, green, old growth, primal cloud forests and rain forests especially.

It isn't any wonder then why Costa Rica is so proud of its environment and why so many flock to experience it from all over the world. If you go, please do your best to stay with reputable eco-lodges who are actually devoted to protecting the environment rather than cashing in on the "eco-tourism" label. Please leave it the way you found it so that humans can experience this special place for generations to come. It is a jewel in an environmentally devastated world and serves as an example of how to preserve nature while still keeping a vibrant economy.