Uruguay among the top 20 countries in MIT's Green Future Index

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Green Future Index, in conjunction with other organizations, is a ranking of 76 leading countries on "their progress and commitment to building a low-carbon future." The index ranks countries on five pillars that combine: carbon emissions, energy transition, green society, clean innovation and climate policy.

As reported on Tuesday by Montevideo Portal, Uruguay is number 20 on that list and enters the group of "green leaders" along with 15 other countries in Europe, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Singapore and Canada. Europe leads the change thanks to the mandates of the bloc that obliges its countries to invest in green policies and move towards renewable energies; the first five positions correspond to Iceland, Denmark, Norway, France and Ireland.

The world's two largest economies, the United States and China, rank 40th and 45th, respectively, in the "climate laggards" group. Both countries must catch up after decades of environmental mismanagement. In addition, China must push its energy transition much further, despite accounting for nearly half of the world's renewable energy through its wind and solar sources.

The report highlights Canada, Singapore and Uruguay as among the non-European countries that have strategies for decarbonization, energy source transition and government initiatives to promote green living.

Uruguay ranks 10th in two of the areas analyzed in the report. On the one hand, energy transition, which scores that "renewable energy is growing fast and contributing to a larger share of the overall energy mix." It is also among "top performers in the clean innovation pillar"; a high score in this category "means a higher relative number of green patents, investment in cross-border clean energy initiatives and investment in food technology."

Read more about this: The Guardian highlights Uruguay as Latin America's leader in renewable energies.

Source: La Diaria