Cross-posted:
"If everyone lived in an ‘ecovillage’, the Earth would still be in trouble"
https://theconversation.com/if-everyone ... uble-43905
The “most sustainable country in the world” is Sweden, according to a new study/ranking from the investment company RobecoSAM.
Despite winning the top spot, the country ‘only’ received a score of 8 out of 10 — with the win being the result of analyses incorporating factors such as governance, environmental conditions, and the social climate.
The study (which can be found here) noted that the country’s support of “liberty and equality,” investment into its education system, and its reported ability to respond to environmental threats contributed to the high ranking.
Following relatively close behind Sweden in this year’s study were the countries of Switzerland and Norway — neighbors (or nearly so in the case of Switzerland) with many similar qualities to Sweden.
Despite the above-mentioned qualities, the country didn’t rank particularly highly with regard to renewable energy or overall energy usage levels — with the nation ranking third for renewable power capacity per capita.
With regard to the study as a whole, interestingly, the UK managed to come in 4th — owing to fairly “good” emissions levels, and (supposedly) fairly low environmental risk.
Newfie wrote:Don’t forget water. Lots of similarity to peak oil in fossil water stores being depleted.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Newfie wrote:Tanada,
Yes it is water. But is that water available for drinking and growing things?
India is having issues with a late monsoon and dry wells. Wells are drying up worldwide. Europe seems to have an excess of water at the moment.
So water, pure (enough) water in a well available for drinking and agriculture is where we are missing it.
Deluge runoff is where it is.
From what you say it sounds like this water, not being reinjected, is being released into the atmosphere.
Now if they could purify the water and out it back into the aquifers that would be something. But they cant because the aquifer tends to compress once depleted and looses its ability to absorb water. Some water gets back in, but the refill rates I see are all in the thousands of years.
Alfred Tennyson wrote:We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
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