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France is the 4th most eco-friendly country in the world in 2021. This ranking is polemical, because it is based more on communication elements and promises of governments, rather than concrete actions. For example, in the “energy transition” category, France is only in 62nd place ouf of 76. For the “green society” factor, which includes meat consumption, recycling and forest preservation, France is far from being well ranked, reaching 57th place.
In Germany, it has been possible since 2018 to return bottles to automatic machines at the entrance of supermarkets, in exchange for vouchers of a few cents per recycled bottle. Thanks to this initiative, more than 98% of plastic bottles and cans are recycled (compared to barely 60% in France). This solution was introduced in France in 2020, and can be found in supermarkets and hypermarkets, or even within some companies.
In Australia, rain catchers are put in place at sewer outlets since 2018, with the aim of capturing urban waste before it lands in the Oceans. A smart and simple idea against plastic pollution. It is made of simple nets, strong enough to collect the polluting waste, installed at the outlet of the city’s drainage pipes. More than 1763 pounds of wastes have been collected in the first weeks.
In Sweden, a carbon tax was introduced as early as 1991, reaching a record high of 120 euros per ton of CO2. At the same time, other taxes related to the economy and work have been reduced. Today, Swedish people heat mainly with biofuels, and the country has managed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a fourth in 25 years, without slowing its growth. The Scandinavian country has the goal of living without fossil fuels by 2030.
Morocco built four solar power plants in Ouarzazate, with 580 megawatts capacity, the world record. It also has an impressive wind farm, making it one of the largest producers of wind power in Africa. The country’s objective is to increase the share of renewable energy considerably, from the current 42% to 52% by 2030.
Yvan Bourguignon, a 50 year old French-Swiss skipper, is known for his extraordinary sportive challenges and for the project of his association The SeaCleaners : The Manta. It is a giant sailboat that will set out to tackle Ocean plastic pollution in 2024. This technological and ecological boat is the first able to collect, treat and recycle marine plastic waste in large quantities. It should be able to collect from 1 to 3 tons of waste per hour, 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. The objective is to collect between 5 to 10,000 tons per year.
