Eco Countries

Africa

Asia

Caribbean

Europe

Middle East

North America

Oceania

South America

Eco friendly countries are states that implement environmental laws, pollution reduction and use sustainable energy sources to ensure their country remains at one with the earth and not the earth's exploiter. These countries are also renowned for their outstanding natural beauty. By preserving such natural beauty they promote sustainable tourism and preserve their countries heritage.

The countries listed on this page have been rated as eco friendly on an Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by Yale & Colombia University for 2010 that ranked 165 countries on 25 different environmental performance criterion.

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This country had the number one spot in 2009 but now comes a very close second. The country is very keen on recycling as well as having pesticide control and protecting it's forests. Because of the countries geographical location, landlocked between mountains), it has a very fragile environment so it is of great importance to keep the ecological system balanced.
 

Iceland is well known for it's natural landscape and simple eco-friendly housing and it comes first place on this list of environmentally friendly countries because of it's low greenhouse gas emissions and it's well managed reforestation programmes. Iceland keeps a good grip on it's natural resources by not exploiting them in their entirety. Thus by protecting their resources and the environment, the country ensures a sustainable future.

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Like all Scandinavian countries, Sweden upholds great environmental standards. An entire Swedish city, Malmo, runs on biofuels whilst other Swedish cities use many alternate energy sources, though they do not rely entirely upon these. Sweden's air is amongst the purest in Europe due to the heavily controlled output of carbon dioxide and fossil fuels. The country also keeps it’s streets clean from litter and the environment is kept as non-toxic as possible.

The countries priority is to protect biodiversity and the rainforest. Eco-tourism is a great way of preserving the forests whilst supporting local people at the same time. The government ensures settlement development and industry do not destroy parts of the rainforest. Even the hotels are eco- friendly, made to blend in with the surrounding environment and to minimize pollution.

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Just like Costa Rica, the island of Mauritius proudly protects it's biodiversity by using eco-tourism as a way of reducing environmental damage. This provides a means of income for locals who would otherwise find an income from logging or fishing. The government has adopted sustainable environmental management plans to deal with the growing tourism industry. The Ministry of Environment also conduct a very successful anti-litter campaign to help reduce the amount of litter produced by tourists.

The vast majority of Norway's energy comes from hydroelectric plants, a sustainable and non-polluting power source. Many of Norway's building are designed to harness the power of the sun so that they impact as little as possible on the environment. Norway also scores highly because of it's purity of water and great sanitation, making it one of the cleanest and healthiest countries to live in.

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Most of France's electricity comes from nuclear power plants, producing no carbon emissions. Although, nuclear power plants do leave nuclear waste which takes up to 1000 years to decompose. The French maintain many eco policies and are always working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The public transport system, including the modern metros and trains, reduces the overall amount of transport pollution to help France keep it's air cleaner than most countries. 

Being surrounded by such an overwhelming landscape provides great motivation for Austria to protect it's forests and snow capped mountains. Over half of Austria's electricity now comes from hydro electric power sources whilst over 60% of all it's electricity comes from sustainable sources. Austrians are keen to express cleanliness in all levels of their lives whether by taking public transport, keeping city streets clean or by reducing carbon emissions to help retain the purity of the air.
 

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Colombia is home to around 10% of the world's species making it hugely significant in terms of biodiversity. The transportation system is extremely fuel efficient and many vehicles rely on bio-diesels rather than oil. The government uses reforestation programs and sustainable forest developments to ensure an income to locals, without harming the environment and without exploiting resources.

This Caribbean nation prides itself for having a sustainable eco-tourism industry, rather than the destructive big industry tourism that we all know so well. Forests are preserved, waters kept clean and housing is made eco-friendly. Many people have their own vegetable plots enabling them to grow some of their own food, which saves having to create large scale agricultural facilities. The U.S embargo may be a contributing factor in Cuba remaining an unspoilt eco paradise.