European Green City Index

The European Green City Index measures and rates the environmental performance of 30 leading European cities from 30 European countries. It takes into account 30 individual indicators per city, touching on a wide range of environmental areas, from environmental governance and water consumption to waste management and greenhouse gas emissions. The study is worth noting today even though it was created in 2009.

Study results

Highest ranking reached Scandinavian cities – Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. On the contrary, the lowest positions occupy Kiev, Sofia and Bucharest. Prague obtained score 49.78 which accomplished 24^th position of totally 30 evaluated cities. Better score reached Bratislava (20^th place with 56.09 points) and Warsaw (16^th place with 59.04 points).

Best 10 European green cities (City /Score):

1. Copenhagen /87.31

2. Stockholm /86.65

3. Oslo /83.98

4. Vienna /83.34

5. Amsterdam /83.03

6. Zurich /82.31

7. Helsinki /79.29

8. Berlin /79.01

9. Brussels /78.01

10. Paris /73.21

Why cities matter

More than one-half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, which are blamed for producing as much as 80% of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, increasing urbanization can negatively impact everything from the availability of arable land and vital green spaces to potable water and sanitary waste disposal facilities. Living in such close proximity tends to intensity the demands that urban settlements impose on their surrounding environments.

Study focused on environmental aspects of 30 European cities was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Siemens.