Luxembourg is considered to be the green heart of Europe, and this name is completely justified.
How to objectively assess the state of the environment
For this purpose, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is used. All the countries are rated according to the following two broad categories:
Level of population health.
Ecological system sustainability.
The level of population health is assessed by experts from the WHO. Annually, they analyse mortality caused by poor ecology and compile statistical data.
The degree of threat of pollution to humans is also estimated. To do this, the availability of medicine, the average life expectancy and the number of children having congenital disorders have been assessed.
The sustainability of the ecological system is determined by a combination of factors. Among others, the following factors are estimated:
The degree of pollution of water, soil and air originating from industrial processes. To do this, expert groups measure the concentration of hazardous substances.
The impact of pollution on the flora and fauna. To make an accurate estimate, biodiversity is also taken into account.
The efficiency of measures taken to protect the environment.
The relationship between the culture of the population and ecology.
Climatic conditions and their changes.
Compliance with agricultural technologies.
The area of territories occupied by forests.
The use of alternative energy sources.
The data obtained after the analysis of the environmental state in a country is placed in the rating table every two years.
The place of Luxembourg in the world ranking
At the end of 2020, Luxembourg had 82.3 out of 100. It was ranked second, lagging behind Denmark only by two tenths of a point.
It was no accident that the Grand Duchy managed to achieve such results since many of its political and social initiatives are aimed at the protection of the environment. The country actively uses alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and others.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg supports and develops projects promoting the reduction of carbon emissions into the atmosphere to zero and preventing climate change. That is why every third vehicle in the country is an electric car.
Moreover, Luxembourg pays special attention to sorting and recycling waste. According to Eurostat, the Grand Duchy is in the top three countries when it comes to recycling used batteries and accumulators. Only Poland and Croatia surpassed the country in this indicator.
The best part of the country to live in
Luxembourg consists of 12 cantons:
Northern — Clervaux, Diekirch, Redange, Vianden, Wiltz.
Eastern — Echternach, Grevenmacher, Remich.
Southwestern — Capellen, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, Mersch.
A canton is a unit of administrative-territorial division of the country. To make it sound more familiar, cantons are similar to regions. These 12 cantons are divided into 116 communes.
The state of the environment in different cantons and communes does not differ by much. Therefore, you can choose any one of them and do not need to worry about its ecological well-being. However, this does not apply to weather conditions.