Environmental performance rankings: China fares poorly

China ranked only 105th on the environmental protection ranking. It's time for the Chinese to clearly realize the huge gap between us and other countries in environmental protection work.

The Environmental Law and Policy Center of Yale University published the first global "Environmental Performance Index" at the end of January this year, ranking the environmental performance of 149 countries and regions. The ranking referred to various indicators, including carbon and sulfur emissions, water purity, and soil and water conservation measures, to comprehensively evaluate each country. The wealthy Scandinavian countries (including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland) occupied the top five positions in the ranking, while the bottom five were all poor African countries. Surprisingly, Colombia ranked ninth, ahead of France, Canada, and Germany. Below is a partial list of the EPI (Global Environmental Performance Index) rankings, with China ranking 105th:

1 Switzerland 95.5

2 Sweden 93.1

3 Norway 93.1

4 Finland 91.4

5 Costa Rica 90.5

6 Austria 89.4

7 New Zealand 88.9

8 Latvia 88.8

9 Colombia 88.3

10 France 87.8

11 Iceland 87.6

12 Canada 86.6

13 Germany 86.3

14 United Kingdom 86.3

21 Japan 84.5

26 Malaysia 84.0

28 Russia 83.9

39 United States 81.0

51 South Korea 79.4

53 Thailand 79.2

102 Indonesia 66.2

105 China 65.1

120 India 60.3

149 Niger 39.1

China ranks 105th on the environmental protection ranking, and many people are not surprised that China ranks 105th, even thinking it is overvalued. It seems that everyone is quite familiar with the severity of China's environmental pollution. But after further reflection, I feel very heartbroken. In recent years, China has continuously pursued development and made considerable progress in all aspects. Now active on the world stage, it has become a focus of global attention. Recalling the living conditions of my childhood compared to today's society, there is such a vast difference. China's reform and opening-up policy have continuously introduced advanced foreign science and technology to arm China's economy. However, as the environment gradually deteriorates today, we suddenly realize that to pursue development and progress, we have paid a heavy price of environmental destruction. Seeing the indifference and acceptance of the rank 105 by the masses, I can't help but shout: think of ways quickly. Can the environment be sacrificed for economic development? We will eventually reap what we sow.

Environmental Pollution

Faced with the environmental performance rankings of various countries, many environmental defenders are eager to know the gap between China and foreign countries in environmental protection.

Judging from the rankings, it seems that there is a significant relationship between a country's environmental protection efforts and its wealth. Daniel Esty, director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center at Yale University, analyzed this: "There is no doubt that richer countries invest more resources in improving the environment, such as ensuring safe drinking water, controlling pollution, and improving air quality. But at any level of economic development, we find that some countries perform better in environmental protection than other countries with the same income level. Therefore, national wealth certainly helps environmental protection, but good government management is equally important." For example, although Costa Rica is not rich, it ranks fifth, indicating that the government must have seriously implemented environmental policies. Costa Rica's example confirms that environmental protection efforts are not necessarily related to wealth. China can also implement good environmental policies under non-wealthy conditions. As a developing country, economic development is indeed important, but if China can incorporate environmental protection into all economic activities, I believe that while developing the economy, we can also have a pollution-free living environment. Many companies, in pursuit of profit, save costs by discharging sewage and toxic gases indiscriminately, affecting the living conditions of the public. In the long run, economic development premised on environmental damage will eventually make our surroundings unsuitable for human survival.

The argument that environmental protection and commercial profit are mutually exclusive no longer holds water. Facts show that if a country manages its environment properly, it will also have good business management. "Scandinavian countries consider investment in the environmental industry as one of the foundations of their economy. For instance, the world's largest solar power plant is in Norway, which ranks third in our environmental performance ranking. Many Swedish companies are committed to environmental protection, and IKEA and Walmart are excellent examples."

By understanding the efforts of other countries in environmental protection, we can also clearly recognize that China's environmental protection work still falls far short. The cost of paying for environmental degradation for the sake of economic development is too heavy. A major economic power like the United States ranks only 39th in the environmental performance ranking, and it is not an example for China to follow. Even if the United States encounters environmental problems, it still has the economic backing to solve them, and its business groups are also following the path of environmental protection, measures that have gained the support of its citizens. For China, a populous country, controlling environmental pollution is no easy task. Environmental pollution is caused by human factors, and the Chinese government needs to strengthen the education of the quality of its citizens, truly supporting economic behavior while also controlling economic behavior.

Ranking 105th, China still has a long way to go in environmental protection work. We always want to show the strength of our great country on the world stage, but such a large country performing poorly in environmental protection makes it difficult for other countries to believe in the strength of our nation.

After seeing our own shortcomings, we need to work hard. Of course, we cannot ignore the efforts of the masses who have been working for China's environmental protection. However, relying solely on individuals or a few groups is far from enough. We need to mobilize the entire nation, deeply rooting environmental protection in our hearts. With a strong nation, greatness is just around the corner.

Tags: Environmental Protection, Environmental Pollution