Slovakia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

Slovakia Slovak Republic [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	39th best
Capital	Bratislava
Land Area	48 088km21
Location	Europe
Population	5.5m2
Life Expectancy	74.91yrs (2017)3
GNI	$30 690 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	SK, SVK, 7035
Internet Domain	.sk6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+4218

When it comes to its responsibility towards the environment, Slovakia is 93rd in the world. This rank is computed using 21 data sets. Slovakia does better than average in its environmental performance₉, its score on the Green Future Index₁₀ (but amongst the worst in Europe) and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₁₁. But, things still need to improve in Slovakia. Slovakia does worse than average when it comes to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₁₂, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, energy to GDP efficiency₁₃ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₁₄ (still good for Europe).

1. Slovakia'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
   7. Green Future Index
3. Links

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1. Slovakia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to Europe (2025)15
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank15
1	Switzerland	45.0
2	Denmark	50.4
3	Liechtenstein	56.8
	...
22	Belgium	75.3
23	Bulgaria	75.8
24	Latvia	77.7
25	Slovakia	80.8
26	Poland	81.0
27	Slovenia	82.1
28	Georgia	83.6
29	Macedonia	86.9
30	Croatia	88.5
	Europe Avg	86.45
q=48.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)15
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank15
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
90	Cuba	79.4
91	Algeria	79.7
92	Nicaragua	80.5
93	Slovakia	80.8
94	Poland	81.0
95	UAE	81.8
96	Bolivia	81.8
97	Slovenia	82.1
	World Avg	84.93
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:

• " 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 better11
Pos.		Total11
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
70	Australia	1.7%
71	Austria	1.6%
72	Czechia	1.5%
73	Slovakia	1.3%
74	Portugal	1.0%
75	Micronesia	0.9%
76	Iraq	0.9%
77	Russia	0.7%
	Europe Avg	8.2%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Slovakia is positioned 73rd in the world in terms of 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% )₁₁. 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% )₁₁.

For more, see:

• "Deforestation" by Vexen Crabtree (2024).

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

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Slovakia:	0.9%	0.4%
World Rank:	62nd	⇣  73rd
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
	...
25	Canada	72.2
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
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Regarding its environmental performance, Slovakia comes 28th 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 better13
Pos.		2022 Avg13
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
110	Australia	1.25
111	Cuba	1.25
112	Thailand	1.26
113	Slovakia	1.26
114	Sweden	1.30
115	USA	1.36
116	Czechia	1.36
117	Liberia	1.37
	Europe Avg	1.25
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

When it comes to energy to GDP efficiency, Slovakia ranks 113th in the world.

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 Slovakia (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Slovakia:	3.77	3.43	2.36	1.47
World Rank:	128th	⇣  136th	136th	⇡  115th
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%
	...
104	Poland	57%
105	Mozambique	57%
106	Romania	57%
107	Slovakia	57%
108	St Lucia	56%
109	Slovenia	56%
110	S. Korea	56%
111	Sudan	56%
	Europe Avg	62.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Slovakia ranks 107th 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:

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

“Slovakia aims to reach climate neutrality by 2050 (see trajectory in Figure 1).The country accounted for 1.1% of the EU's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023 and achieved an emissions reduction of 27.3% from 2005 to 2023, slightly below the EU average reduction of 30.2% over the same period. Emissions from sectors under the EU emission trading system (ETS) fell by 41.7%. For the effort-sharing sectors, Slovakia largely over-achieved its targets for 2020. Slovakia's land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector is an important carbon sink, absorbing almost a fifth of the country's emissions.”

EU 2023 Climate Action Strategy₂₆

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

International Accords on the Environment	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Slovakia:	0%	0%	54%	86%	99%
World Rank:	52nd	⇣  114th	⇡  78th	⇡  42nd	⇡  30th
World Avg:	8.5%	23.3%	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%

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%
	...
90	Austria	31.8%
91	Azerbaijan	31.7%
92	Guinea	31.2%
93	Slovakia	31.1%
94	Guyana	30.1%
95	Egypt	30.1%
96	Macedonia	30.1%
97	Senegal	29.6%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Slovakia ranks 93rd in the world regarding the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population. In a 2023 survey, 26% of Slovakians identified climate change as one of the four most serious problems facing the world (much less than the 46% EU average)₂₆. "Most expect national government (64%) and/or business and industry (63%) to tackle climate change, 50% see it as a task of the EU, while only 26% find it to be a personal responsibility"₂₆.

2.6. Meat Consumption

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

Meat Consumption Lower is better14
Pos.		2021 kg14
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
111	China	63.6
112	Uruguay	62.8
113	Jamaica	63.4
114	Slovakia	63.5
115	China	63.6
116	Netherlands	63.8
117	Malaysia	65.3
118	Belgium	66.2
	Europe Avg	71.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Still low for Europe Slovakia ranks 114th in the world when it comes to 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_27,28,29. (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 switch₃₀. (4) Vegetarian food production uses substantially less land_27,31,32. And, (5) vegetarianism is better for the environment than meat-production for emissions, sewerage, pollution and chemicals usage._27,31. A plant-based diet causes 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than a typical carnivorous diet₃₂. 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"₃₂. Despite this, "reducing appetites for carbon-intensive meat and dairy is incredibly hard"₃₃ and as countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat.

On average throughout the 2010s, Slovakia's rate was 54.9.

2.7. Green Future Index

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Green Future Index Higher is better10
Pos.		2023 Score10
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
32	Singapore	5.0
33	Hong Kong	4.9
34	Colombia	4.8
35	Slovakia	4.8
36	UAE	4.8
37	Morocco	4.7
38	Brazil	4.7
39=	Romania	4.7
	Europe Avg	5.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

Slovakia comes 35th in the world in terms of its score on the Green Future Index (amongst the lowest in Europe).

The Green Futures Index (GFI) has been running since 2021, and looks at 23 data sets for over 70 countries, with a focus on effectiveness, policy and planning 'for a low carbon future. It is complementary to existing goals and frameworks for sustainable development'. Datasets include qualitative appraisals and quantitative measurements on carbon emissions across multiple sectors, renewable and nuclear energy, recycling capabilities, green technologies used in building and construction, transport, scientific and industrial green innovations and patent quantities, climate action and climate policies. Each country is then ranked by their final score.₃₄.

The 2023 edition of the Green Futures Index noted that Slovakia's nuclear contribution to its energy sector was very high, helping it avoid harmful carbon emissions (only France and Ukraine had higher contributions).₃₄