Norway is better-placed to deal with climate change than any other country in the world, according to the Notre Dame Global Adaption Index.
Norway isn't the least vulnerable (4th, behind Australia, Canada and the UK) or the most “ready” (5th, behind Denmark, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand), but comes out top when these factors are combined into the overall ND-GAIN Index.
A country's ND-GAIN index score is composed of a Vulnerability score and a Readiness score. Vulnerability measures a country's exposure, sensitivity and ability to adapt to the negative impact of climate change. ND-GAIN measures the overall vulnerability by considering vulnerability in six life-supporting sectors – food, water, health, ecosystem service, human habitat and infrastructure. Using over 15 years of data, across 50 variables, ND-GAIN ranks over 175 countries annually based on how vulnerable they are to droughts, super-storms and other natural disasters and, uniquely, how ready they are to successfully implement adaptation solutions.
Bottom of the list are the African nations of Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, Eritrea, DR Congo and Sudan. Mostly land-locked, these nations struggle for natural resources and suffer from insecurity across economic, government and social infrastructures.
Climate change and Norway
Norway has dominated the table for two decades, due to high scores in food stability, the healthcare sector, and access to clean water and energy.
Breaking news in Norway is the presentation of a white paper from the Government that suggests Norway reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030, compared to the 1990 level. The Norwegian government aims for Norway to join the EU 2030 framework for climate policies in order for Norway and the EU to jointly fulfil their climate targets.
“There is a need to transform the Norwegian society. An important reason is the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid dangerous, anthropogenic climate change. At the climate change negotiations in Paris in December, Norway and the world needs to take brave new steps towards a low-carbon economy”, says Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg (regjeringen.no)
Another good reason to live in Norway!
