Oliver Smith, Digital Travel Editor

The Government has announced tough new pollution taxes, and a commitment to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars within 25 years, in a bid to tackle harmful emissions and address growing environmental concerns.

But how does Britain compare with the rest of the world when it comes to pollution?

The map below shows world according to how much CO2 is produced per capita.

The worst offender, according to data compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA), is Qatar. It belches out more CO2 per capita, 35.73 tonnes, than anywhere else. The Middle Eastern country is followed by Curacao and Latvia, while its neighbours Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates complete the top five. The UK sits 41st, on 6.31 tonnes, which is poor when you consider that some of our European neighbours are at the cleaner end of the list.

Countries that belch out the most CO2 per capita

1. Qatar – 35.73 tonnes
2. Curacao – 30.43
3. Latvia – 22.94
4. Bahrain – 21.8
5. United Arab Emirates – 19.31
6. Trinidad and Tobago – 17.15
7. Malaysia – 16.57
8. Saudi Arabia – 16.4
9. Guatemala – 16.25
10. United States – 16.22

In fact, Denmark is the clear leader when it comes to keeping its emissions down; it produces less CO2 per capita than anywhere else on Earth, followed by Finland and Nigeria.

Countries that belch out the least CO2 per capita

1. Denmark – 0.06 tonnes
2. Finland – 0.09
3. Nigeria – 0.1
4. Estonia – 0.11
5. South Sudan – 0.13
6. Myanmar – 0.14
7. Tanzania – 0.2
8. Zambia – 0.2
9. Netherlands – 0.21
10. Togo – 0.24

The UK, it should be noted, performs far better on another ranking of eco-friendliness.

The 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), produced by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, is based on an assessment of the policies of 180 nations, reflecting whether they meeting internationally established environmental targets or, in the absence of agreed targets, how they compare to one another.

Top of the eco-chart is Finland. According to the 2016 EPI report, Finland’s ranking “stems from its societal commitment to achieve a carbon-neutral society”. It adds: “Finland’s goal of consuming 38 per cent of their final energy from renewable sources by 2020 is legally binding, and they already produce nearly two-thirds of their electricity from renewable or nuclear power sources.”
According to the 2016 EPI report, Finland is the most environmentally-friendly country on Earth

Following close behind are Iceland, Sweden and Denmark, three countries renowned for their sound environmental policies. More surprising, perhaps, is the presence of Slovenia, Spain, Portugal and Malta in the top 10.

The UK places 12th, with an EPI score of 87.38. The US is 26th, with 84.26.

The 20 most environmentally-friendly countries

1. Finland – EPI rating: 90.68
2. Iceland – 90.51
3. Sweden – 90.43
4. Denmark – 89.21
5. Slovenia – 88.98
6. Spain – 88.91
7. Portugal – 88.63
8. Estonia – 88.59
9. Malta – 88.48
10. France – 88.2
11. New Zealand – 88
12. United Kingdom – 87.38
13. Australia – 87.22
14. Singapore – 87.04
15. Croatia – 86.98
16. Switzerland – 86.93
17. Norway – 86.9
18. Austria – 86.64
19. Ireland – 86.6
20. Luxembourg – 86.58

Bosnia and Herzogovina has the worst rating of any European country, placing 120th with a score of 63.28 – below the likes of Iraq, Syria, Libya and China.

It will not come as a shock to see many countries with torrid recent histories populating the bottom of the index. War and civil unrest usually pushes environmental concerns off the agenda. Somalia props up the table, while Eritrea, Afghanistan and Mali also occupy the bottom 10.

A handful of countries do not feature in the ranking; they appear on the map in grey.

Bron: TheTelegraph