News
2009-12-07
)
- Vilnius enjoys cleanest air in Europe
The Economist Intelligence Unit and the Siemens have conducted a study on the environmental performance of 30 European cities. The European Green City Index reveals Copenhagen as the “greenest” city in Europe. Vilnius ranks the 13th, which is the highest position among the smaller contestants, and leaves behind such cities as Warsaw, Dublin, Tallinn or Ljubljana.
Vilnius’s scores were particularly high in the two categories: Air Quality (9.37 points from 10, placing Vilnius at the top of the ranking), and Waste and Land Use (9th position, leaving far behind other European cities of similar profile). Vilnius was also ahead its peer cities in Buildings and Water categories, having been ranked 13th. In Transport category Vilnius was 19th alongside Kiev, Paris, and Zagreb.
The top cities in the Index were the Scandinavian ones: Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo. It is for a long time that these cities have been focusing on the environmental issues, which has resulted in ambitious goals for fight against climate change. For example, Copenhagen seeks to cut its carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2025. High level of GDP per capita determines solid investment into the environmental protection in Scandinavia.