The Human Truth Foundation

Lithuania's Responsibility Towards The Environment

https://www.humantruth.info/lithuania_environment.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2025

#environmentalism #internationalism #Lithuania #lithuania_environmentalism

Lithuania
Republic of Lithuania

[Country Profile Page]
Flag
StatusIndependent State
Social and Moral Index41st best
CapitalVilnius
Land Area 62 674km21
LocationEurope, Baltic States
Population2.8m2
Life Expectancy73.72yrs (2017)3
GNI$37 931 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 CodesLT, LTU, 4405
Internet Domain.lt6
CurrencyEuro (EUR)7
Telephone+3708

Lithuania comes 121st in the world with regard to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is computed 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. Lithuania still has work to do. Lithuania does worse than average for 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

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to Europe (2025)14
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank14
1Switzerland45.0
2Denmark50.4
3Liechtenstein56.8
...
29Macedonia86.9
30Croatia88.5
31Czechia89.3
32Lithuania89.5
33Albania91.5
34=Monaco92.1
34=Moldova92.1
36Malta92.2
37Ukraine94.8
Europe Avg86.45
q=48.
Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)14
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank14
1Sri Lanka34.9
2Uruguay43.2
3Switzerland45.0
...
118Fiji89.1
119Czechia89.3
120Malaysia89.5
121Lithuania89.5
122Paraguay91.0
123Equatorial Guinea91.2
124Belize91.3
125Albania91.5
World Avg84.93
q=199.

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:

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 better
10
Pos.Total10
1Guernsey82.6%
2Bahrain75.2%
3Iceland64.7%
...
31Turkey10.0%
32Denmark9.8%
33Kazakhstan9.7%
34Lithuania8.9%
35Estonia8.7%
36Romania8.7%
37Spain8.6%
38Dominican Rep.8.5%
Europe Avg8.2%
World Avg-0.1%
q=234.
When it comes to its forested percent change 2000-2020, Lithuania ranks 34th in the world.

Forests are carbon sinks, mitigating against climate change15,16. Unfortunately, we are destroying over 70,000 km2 of forest each year17. In the last few thousand years, we've removed 30-40% of the Earth's forest cover18,16, mostly to clear space for agriculture, and for logging19,20. 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 deforestation21,19. It brings soil erosion from wind and rain which, over time, can almost-permanently stop any hope of growing food22, and spreads desertification. Entire ecosystems are collapsing as a result, including ones that we depend upon23. 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.24.

Some regions of the world are increasing their forest cover16; 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:

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

Forest Area Change 2000-20202000s 
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 better
9
Pos.20189
1Switzerland87.4
2France84.0
3Denmark81.6
...
26Portugal71.9
27USA71.2
28Slovakia70.6
29Lithuania69.3
30=Bulgaria67.9
30=Costa Rica67.9
32Qatar67.8
33Czechia67.7
Europe Avg69.6
World Avg56.4
q=180.
Lithuania comes 29th in the world in terms of its environmental performance.

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 better
11
Pos.2022
Avg11
1Rwanda0.25
2Chad0.26
3Tanzania0.31
...
50Latvia0.81
51Ghana0.83
52Colombia0.83
53Lithuania0.83
54Italy0.84
55Mali0.86
56Morocco0.86
57Turkey0.86
Europe Avg1.25
World Avg1.23
q=165.
Lithuania ranks 53rd in the world with regard to 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 Efficiency1980s 
Average
1990s 
Average
2000s 
Average
2010s 
Average
Lithuania:3.533.371.921.01
World Rank:126th ⇣  135th ⇡  117th ⇡  66th
World Avg:2.102.151.601.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment
Higher is better
Pos.Total
Avg Rate
1Sweden83%
2Canada82%
3Norway81%
...
10Nigeria78%
11Germany76%
12Belarus76%
13Lithuania75%
14Australia74%
15Uruguay74%
16Macedonia74%
17Panama74%
Europe Avg62.7%
World Avg57.5%
q=197.
Lithuania is positioned 13th-best in the world when it comes to its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

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:

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 Environment1990s 
Average
2000s 
Average
2010s 
Average
Lithuania:24%80%98%
World Rank:162nd ⇡  94th ⇡  75th
World Avg:45.0%74.4%90.7%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment
Higher is better
12
Pos.2011
%12
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
...
105Qatar26.5%
106Bahrain26.3%
107S. Africa26.2%
108Lithuania25.6%
109Nigeria25.3%
110Armenia25.3%
111Kazakhstan25.0%
112Iraq24.9%
Europe Avg33.6%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.
Lithuania is 108th in the world in terms of the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population. 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 better
13
Pos.2021
kg13
1Congo, DR03.0
2Burundi03.5
3Bangladesh04.3
...
152Bahrain82.8
153Qatar83.0
154=Iceland83.6
154=Lithuania83.6
156UAE84.3
157Panama85.0
158Luxembourg85.8
159Antigua & Barbuda85.8
Europe Avg71.1
World Avg52.5
q=185.
Lithuania ranks 154th in the world in terms of 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 issues25,26,27. (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 switch28. (4) Vegetarian food production uses substantially less land25,29,30. And, (5) vegetarianism is better for the environment than meat-production for emissions, sewerage, pollution and chemicals usage.25,29. A plant-based diet causes 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than a typical carnivorous diet30. 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"30. Despite this, "reducing appetites for carbon-intensive meat and dairy is incredibly hard"31 and as countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat.

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