SDG top performing five countries

In 2015, 193 member states of United Nations agreed on 17 goals, the so-called Sustainable Development Goals, as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".

These are very nice words under a beautiful umbrella. Climate change is the universal challenge for humanity in the 21st century. If we all fail to tackle it properly and timely, there will be no future, no gender equality, no end of powerty, no zero-hunger, no affordable and clean energy, no well-being, nothing at all, because climate isn't a linear system, but an abrutp one. Climate makes Earth a livable planet.

The first think it strikes to me is having just one out of the 17 SDG focusing on climate change, number 13, down on the left side of the figure below.

The top performing five countries are Denmark, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovak Republic, according to the 2023 report. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the top performing five countries were Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, and Austria. Interestingly, all of them in Europe, in the Global North, to be more precise.

Let us have a closer look, one by one, on their climate change performance. For that purpose, I will focus on per capita CO2 emissions in 2021 -the last available year- and its evolution during the last decade.

Denmark.- Population 8 million, with per capita 5,1 tons of CO2 emissions, above the World average per capita CO2 emissons (4,7). A 29% reduction versus 2012 (10,1)

Czechia.- Population 10,5 million, with per capita 9,2 tons of CO2, well above World average, 13% decrease in comparison to 10,6 tons in 2012.

Estonia.- Population 13,3 million, with per capita 7,9 tons of CO2, well above World average, 41% decrease in comparison to 13,5 tons in 2012.

Latvia.- Population 18,7 million, with per capita 3,9 tons of CO2, below World average, quite similar (5% increase) in comparison to 3,7 tons in 2012.

Slovak Republic.- Population 5,5 million, with per capita 6,5 tons of CO2, above World average, virtually identical to 6,6 tons in 2012.

All in all, these 5 countries, with a joint population of 56 million people, represent only a tiny fraction of World population, merely 0,7%. All but one, Latvia, do emit above or well above the World average per capita emissions. Certainly, we ought to do better if we are serious about climate change mitigation. 

Some people might be prone to believe it is being taken care of climate change. The reality shows quite the opposite. This should foster a wake up call for all humandkind. Do not let us be distracted with a nightmare of sustainable goals, but rather let us put as a top priority the immediate stop of fossil fuel combustion. 

Find deeper insights in ¿Fósil? no, gracias, where I uncover the tactical maneuvers from the fossil fuels industry,