Discover which countries are leading the way in terms of green progress
THE GREEN FUTURE INDEX 2021 RANKS COUNTRIES ON GREEN COMMITMENT
According to the the 2021 edition of the Green Future Index, the greenest countries in the world in terms of commitment are Iceland, Denmark, Norway and France. With Iceland aiming for carbon neutrality by 2040, both Denmark and Norway moving away from fossil fuels, and France’s huge investment in the development of the hydrogen industry, Europe is making headway as a potential future leader in environmental issues — however, even the Top 10 leading countries in terms of commitment are still only scoring little more than half of the available points awarded.

The Green Future Index is a ranking of 76 leading countries and territories on their progress and commitment toward building a low carbon future. It measures the degree to which their economies are pivoting toward clean energy, industry, agriculture, and society through investment in renewables, innovation, and green finance. Source: Unsplash/Guillaume de Germain
THE GREEN FUTURE INDEX IS BASED ON FIVE KEY POINTS RELATING TO A COUNTRY
Produced by the MIT Technology Review, the 2021 edition of the Green Future Index, which ranks 76 countries around the world according to their environmental commitment, places France in fourth place, behind three Nordic countries, Iceland, Denmark and Norway.
These countries stand out in particular for their production of renewable energy.
For France, it’s the importance placed on hydrogen that earns it the fourth spot in the ranking. “France is a global leader in hydrogen production and has recently pledged to exceed EU targets for hydrogen-based energy with €7 billion (US$8.6 billion) earmarked to create 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of electrolyser capacity by 2030,” details the Green Future Index.
Last February, the French government held the first meeting of the National Hydrogen Council. An initiative that follows a vast €7 billion funding plan launched in September 2020 to support numerous projects, including the development of the first hydrogen-powered trains.
In fact, France outperforms other countries such as Germany (11th), Sweden (12th), Canada (14th) and the United States (40th) thanks, in part, to its actions at the political level and the investments it plans to make for a “green recovery.”
The last places in this index are occupied mainly by oil and gas-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Russia, Iran and Qatar.
To establish this ranking, the Green Future Index is based on five key points relating to a country, including:
CO2 emissions
energy transition
green society or ecological commitment of citizens
innovations in “clean” energy
and climate policies.
See list below to find your country.
Source: SGNews/Yahoo!News

Overall rankings. The overall rankings show the performance of the examined economies relative to each other and aggregates scores generated across the following five pillars: Carbon emissions, Energy transition, Green society, Clean innovation and Climate policy. Source: Unsplash/Nikola Jovanovic
COUNTRIES 1–25 ON THE THE GREEN FUTURE INDEX
1st Iceland 6.5 Europe, Central Asia
2nd Denmark 6.4 Europe, Central Asia
3rd Norway 6.2 Europe, Central Asia
4th France 6 Europe, Central Asia
5th Ireland 6 Europe, Central Asia
6th Finland 5.9 Europe, Central Asia
7th Costa Rica 5.8 Latin America, Caribbean
8th New Zealand 5.7 East Asia, Pacific
9th Belgium 5.6 Europe, Central Asia
10th Netherlands 5.6 Europe, Central Asia
11th Germany 5.6 Europe, Central Asia
12th Sweden 5.5 Europe, Central Asia
13th Luxembourg 5.5 Europe, Central Asia
14th Canada 5.5 North America
15th Austria 5.5 Europe, Central Asia
16th Singapore 5.5 East Asia, Pacific
17th United Kingdom 5.4 Europe, Central Asia
18th Spain 5.4 Europe, Central Asia
19th Switzerland 5.4 Europe, Central Asia
20th Uruguay 5.4 Latin America, Caribbean
21st India 5.4 South Asia
22nd Italy 5.3 Europe, Central Asia
23rd Kenya 5.3 Sub-Saharan Africa
24th Chile 5.3 Latin America, Caribbean
25th Colombia 5.2 Latin America, Caribbean

Green society or ecological commitment of citizens is one of the criteria used to arrive at the score. Source: Unsplash/@myenergi
COUNTRIES 26—50 ON THE THE GREEN FUTURE INDEX
26th Morocco 5.2 Middle East, North Africa
27th Ethiopia 5.2 Sub-Saharan Africa
28th Czech Republic 5.2 Europe, Central Asia
29th Thailand 5.1 East Asia, Pacific
30th Portugal 5.1 Europe, Central Asia
31st South Korea 5.1 East Asia, Pacific
32nd Brazil 5 Latin America, Caribbean
33rd Kazakhstan 4.9 Europe, Central Asia
34th Poland 4.9 Europe, Central Asia
35th Australia 4.9 East Asia, Pacific
36th Mexico 4.9 Latin America, Caribbean
37th Greece 4.8 Europe, Central Asia
38th Israel 4.8 Middle East, North Africa
39th Hungary 4.7 Europe, Central Asia
40th United States 4.7 North America
41st Cameroon 4.6 Sub-Saharan Africa
42nd United Arab Emirates 4.6 Middle East, North Africa
43rd Philippines 4.6 East Asia, Pacific
44th Bulgaria 4.5 Europe, Central Asia
45th China 4.5 East Asia, Pacific
46th Taiwan 4.5 East Asia, Pacific
47th South Africa 4.5 Sub-Saharan Africa
48th Romania 4.4 Europe, Central Asia
49th Vietnam 4.4 East Asia, Pacific
50th Slovakia 4.4 Europe, Central Asia

Energy transition is one of the criteria used to arrive at the final score. Source: Unsplash/@scienceinhd
COUNTRIES 51—76 ON THE THE GREEN FUTURE INDEX
51st Zambia 4.4 Sub-Saharan Africa
52nd Angola 4.3 Sub-Saharan Africa
53rd Nigeria 4.3 Sub-Saharan Africa
54th Uganda 4.3 Sub-Saharan Africa
55th Dominican Republic 4.2 Latin America, Caribbean
56th Malaysia 4.2 East Asia, Pacific
57th Indonesia 4.2 East Asia, Pacific
58th Egypt 4.1 Middle East, North Africa
59th Argentina 4 Latin America, Caribbean
60th Japan 4 East Asia, Pacific
61st Saudi Arabia 4 Middle East, North Africa
62nd Ecuador 4 Latin America, Caribbean
63rd Ukraine 4 Europe, Central Asia
64th Hong Kong 3.9 East Asia, Pacific
65th Kuwait 3.9 Middle East, North Africa
66th Peru 3.9 Latin America, Caribbean
67th Pakistan 3.8 South Asia
68th Turkey 3.8 Europe, Central Asia
69th Bangladesh 3.7 South Asia
70th Guatemala 3.7 Latin America, Caribbean
71st Ghana 3.6 Sub-Saharan Africa
72nd Algeria 3.2 Middle East, North Africa
73rd Russia 2.9 Europe, Central Asia
74th Iran 2.9 Middle East, North Africa
75th Paraguay 2.7 Latin America, Caribbean
76th Qatar 2.6 Middle East
Where was your country on the table? Could your government be doing more? These rankings are not fixed in stone, and progress can be made wherever you are in the world. When the will of ordinary citizens and their governments is there, change does take place.
Taken from: BrightVibes.