Lithuania's Responsibility Towards The Environment

Lithuania Republic of Lithuania [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	44th best
Capital	Vilnius
Land Area	62 674km21
Location	Europe, Baltic States
Population	2.8m2
Life Expectancy	73.72yrs (2017)3
GNI	$37 931 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	LT, LTU, 4405
Internet Domain	.lt6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+3708

Lithuania is positioned 121st in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 21 data sets. Lithuania comes in the best 20 in terms of its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. It does better than average in its environmental performance₉, its forested percent change 2000-2020₁₀ and in energy to GDP efficiency₁₁. But, things still need to improve in Lithuania. Lithuania does worse than average when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₁₂ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₁₃.

1. Lithuania's Responsibility Towards The Environment
2. Data Sets
   1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020
   2. Environmental Performance
   3. Energy to GDP Efficiency
   4. International Accords on the Environment
   5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment
   6. Meat Consumption
3. Links

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1. Lithuania's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to Europe (2025)14
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank14
1	Switzerland	45.0
2	Denmark	50.4
3	Liechtenstein	56.8
	...
29	Macedonia	86.9
30	Croatia	88.5
31	Czechia	89.3
32	Lithuania	89.5
33	Albania	91.5
34=	Monaco	92.1
34=	Moldova	92.1
36	Malta	92.2
37	Ukraine	94.8
	Europe Avg	86.45
q=48.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)14
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank14
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
118	Fiji	89.1
119	Czechia	89.3
120	Malaysia	89.5
121	Lithuania	89.5
122	Paraguay	91.0
123	Equatorial Guinea	91.2
124	Belize	91.3
125	Albania	91.5
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₁₅. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2. Data Sets

2.1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020

#biodiversity #deforestation #environmentalism #forests #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better10
Pos.		Total10
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
31	Turkey	10.0%
32	Denmark	9.8%
33	Kazakhstan	9.7%
34	Lithuania	8.9%
35	Estonia	8.7%
36	Romania	8.7%
37	Spain	8.6%
38	Dominican Rep.	8.5%
	Europe Avg	8.2%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Lithuania ranks 34th in the world with regard to its forested percent change 2000-2020.

Forests are carbon sinks, mitigating against climate change_16,17. Unfortunately, we are destroying over 70,000 km² of forest each year₁₈. In the last few thousand years, we've removed 30-40% of the Earth's forest cover_19,17, mostly to clear space for agriculture, and for logging_20,21. The produce from both is shipped from poorer countries to richer ones. Half-hearted government efforts and company obfuscation of supply chains makes it almost impossible for consumers to tell which foods and products are from sustainable sources, and which ones are encouraging irresponsible deforestation, meaning that there is little incentive for companies to relent.

The effects are catastrophic. 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation_22,20. It brings soil erosion from wind and rain which, over time, can almost-permanently stop any hope of growing food₂₃, and spreads desertification. Entire ecosystems are collapsing as a result, including ones that we depend upon₂₄. The water cycle is driven by forests, and their loss reduces ordinary rainfall, increases flooding, removes an abundant source of water filtration, and contributes to a rise in water levels.₂₅.

Some regions of the world are increasing their forest cover₁₇; the best from 2000-2020 are Scandinavia (13.8% ), The Balkans (11.0% ) and Baltic States (7.6% )₁₀. There is an overall trend that developed countries gathered their riches by using up their natural resources, and now, they pay poorer countries to use up theirs instead, whilst they can afford to slowly rebuild their natural environments. But it's not wholly that simple - some rich regions are still burning through what they've got. The regions clearing their forests fastest are Central America (-12.8% ), Africa (-9.1% ) and North America (-2.9% )₁₀.

For more, see:

• "Deforestation" by Vexen Crabtree (2024).

Averages by decade for Lithuania (for the ranks, lower is better):

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Lithuania:	7.4%	1.4%
World Rank:	25th	⇣  53rd
World Avg:	0.6%	-0.7%

2.2. Environmental Performance

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Environmental Performance Higher is better9
Pos.		20189
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
26	Portugal	71.9
27	USA	71.2
28	Slovakia	70.6
29	Lithuania	69.3
30=	Bulgaria	67.9
30=	Costa Rica	67.9
32	Qatar	67.8
33	Czechia	67.7
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

In terms of its environmental performance, Lithuania comes 29th in the world.

The Environmental Performance Index 2018 data includes 24 indicators including air pollution, water and sanitation, biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental health, combined into a single score by country, by the Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy.

2.3. Energy to GDP Efficiency

#energy #sustainability #the_environment

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better11
Pos.		2022 Avg11
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
50	Latvia	0.81
51	Ghana	0.83
52	Colombia	0.83
53	Lithuania	0.83
54	Italy	0.84
55	Mali	0.86
56	Morocco	0.86
57	Turkey	0.86
	Europe Avg	1.25
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

Lithuania comes 53rd in the world in terms of energy to GDP efficiency.

GDP per unit of energy consumption is often called 'Energy Intensity'. It's how efficient countries are at producing GDP in terms of primary energy use. It represents primary energy consumption using the substitution method, per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). A lower value means that less energy was used to maintain the country's GDP.

Averages by decade for Lithuania (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Lithuania:	3.53	3.37	1.92	1.01
World Rank:	126th	⇣  135th	⇡  117th	⇡  66th
World Avg:	2.10	2.15	1.60	1.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
10	Nigeria	78%
11	Germany	76%
12	Belarus	76%
13	Lithuania	75%
14	Australia	74%
15	Uruguay	74%
16	Macedonia	74%
17	Panama	74%
	Europe Avg	62.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

When it comes to its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, Lithuania is 13th-best in the world.

Each country is scored using a formula that takes the date each country took up major international environmental agreements, as a ratio of maximum possible days. The agreements covered are: (1) the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, (2) the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides, (3) the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, (4) the Waigani Convention (for those countries that are eligible), (5) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), (6) the Kyoto Protocol and (7) its successor, the Paris Agreement, (8) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), (9) the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and finally, (10) the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

“Lithuania's national climate change management agenda sets emissions reduction targets with a view to reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Lithuania accounted for 0.4 % of the EU's net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023 and had reduced its net emissions by 31.5 % since 2005, slightly above the EU average reduction of 30.5 % over the same period. Emissions from sectors under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) were more than halved (-57.5 %). For the effort-sharing sectors, Lithuania overachieved its target for the 2013-2020 period and expects to reach its 2030 target. Lithuania's land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector is an important carbon sink, absorbing around a third of the country's GHG emissions.”

EU 2023 Climate Action Strategy₁

Averages by decade for Lithuania (for the ranks, lower is better):

International Accords on the Environment	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average	2020s  Average
Lithuania:	24%	80%	98%	100%
World Rank:	162nd	⇡  94th	⇡  75th	⇡  1st
World Avg:	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%	95.0%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better12
Pos.		2011 %12
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
105	Qatar	26.5%
106	Bahrain	26.3%
107	S. Africa	26.2%
108	Lithuania	25.6%
109	Nigeria	25.3%
110	Armenia	25.3%
111	Kazakhstan	25.0%
112	Iraq	24.9%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

With regard to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, Lithuania ranks 108th in the world. In a 2023 survey, 1/3 of Lithuanians identified climate change as one of the four most serious problems facing the world (compared with a 46% EU average)₁. "Most expect national government (57%) and/or business and industry (56%) to tackle climate change, 50% see it as a task of the EU, while 37% find it to be a personal responsibility"₁.

2.6. Meat Consumption

#animal_rights #animal_welfare #diet #food #health #meat #veganism #vegetarianism

Meat Consumption Lower is better13
Pos.		2021 kg13
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
152	Bahrain	82.8
153	Qatar	83.0
154=	Iceland	83.6
154=	Lithuania	83.6
156	UAE	84.3
157	Panama	85.0
158	Luxembourg	85.8
159	Antigua & Barbuda	85.8
	Europe Avg	71.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Lithuania comes 154th in the world regarding reducing annual meat consumption per person.

There are five key arguments in favour of vegetarianism which accrue even from partial adoption: (1) Vegetarian diets have notable health advantages over carnivorous diets, especially for heart and cardiovascular issues_26,27,28. (2) It is morally better to avoid killing or harming animals. (3) Plant-based diets use much less water than carnivorous ones, to the extent that agricultural and water management scientists urge governments to encourage people to switch₂₉. (4) Vegetarian food production uses substantially less land_26,30,31. And, (5) vegetarianism is better for the environment than meat-production for emissions, sewerage, pollution and chemicals usage._26,30. A plant-based diet causes 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than a typical carnivorous diet₃₁. The global food industry causes about 1/3 of all planet-heating emissions, and so "to slow the worst climate effects, the United Nations has called for a drastic reduction in meat consumption"₃₁. Despite this, "reducing appetites for carbon-intensive meat and dairy is incredibly hard"₃₂ and as countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat.

On average throughout the 2010s, Lithuania's rate was 77.2.