Slovenia's Responsibility Towards The Environment

Slovenia Republic of Slovenia [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	20th best
Capital	Ljubljana
Land Area	20 140km21
Location	Europe, The Mediterranean
Population	2.1m2
Life Expectancy	80.69yrs (2017)3
GNI	$39 746 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	SI, SVN, 7055
Internet Domain	.si6
Currency	Euro (EUR)7
Telephone	+3868

Slovenia ranks 97th in the world when it comes to its responsibility towards the environment. This is formulated from 21 data sets. Slovenia does better than average in its environmental performance₉, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₁₀ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₁₁. But, things could still be better. Slovenia does worse than average in energy to GDP efficiency₁₂, reducing annual meat consumption per person₁₃ (still good for Europe) and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment.

1. Slovenia'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. Slovenia'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
	...
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
31	Czechia	89.3
32	Lithuania	89.5
	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
	...
94	Poland	81.0
95	UAE	81.8
96	Bolivia	81.8
97	Slovenia	82.1
98	Panama	82.5
99	Singapore	83.3
100	Georgia	83.6
101	Sierra Leone	83.6
	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 better11
Pos.		Total11
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
80	Norway	0.6%
81	Cyprus	0.5%
82	New Zealand	0.4%
83	Slovenia	0.4%
84	Wallis & Futuna	0.3%
85	Japan	0.2%
86	Niue	0.2%
87	Cook Islands	0.1%
	Europe Avg	8.2%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Slovenia ranks 83rd 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 Slovenia (for the ranks, lower is better):

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Slovenia:	1.1%	-0.7%
World Rank:	61st	⇣  161st
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
	...
31=	Costa Rica	67.9
32	Qatar	67.8
33	Czechia	67.7
34	Slovenia	67.6
35	Trinidad & Tobago	67.4
36	St Vincent & Grenadines	66.5
37	Latvia	66.1
38	Turkmenistan	66.1
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Slovenia comes 34th in the world regarding 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 better12
Pos.		2022 Avg12
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
91	Bolivia	1.11
92	Chile	1.11
93	Honduras	1.15
94	Slovenia	1.15
95	Brazil	1.16
96	Luxembourg	1.16
97	Netherlands	1.17
98	Azerbaijan	1.18
	Europe Avg	1.25
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

Slovenia comes 94th 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 Slovenia (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average
Slovenia:	2.05	1.70	1.46
World Rank:	103rd	103rd	⇣  114th
World Avg:	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%
	...
106	Romania	57%
107	Slovakia	57%
108	St Lucia	56%
109	Slovenia	56%
110	S. Korea	56%
111	Sudan	56%
112	Cuba	55%
113	Israel	55%
	Europe Avg	62.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Slovenia ranks 109th in the world in terms of 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).

Slovenia was the second-fastest country to enact the Rotterdam Convention on obtaining prior consent for transporting certain hazardous chemicals, in 1999.

“Slovenia is legally bound to reach climate neutrality by 2050 (see trajectory on Figure 1) and reduce total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2033 compared with 2005. Slovenia accounts for 0.5% of the EU's net GHG emissions, and increased its net emissions by 8.0% from 2005 to 2023, compared with an EU average reduction of 30.5% over the same period. This was due to a sharp increase in emissions from the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector - traditionally a carbon sink - in the 2014-2019 period. Nonetheless, Slovenia's total emissions reduction of 28.9% over the 2005 2023 period only falls slightly short of the -30.2% EU average. Emissions covered by the EU emissions trading system (ETS) over the same period fell by 48.4%. For the effort-sharing sectors, Slovenia overachieved its 2020 target but must enhance efforts to meet its 2030 obligations.”

EU 2023 Climate Action Strategy₂₆

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

International Accords on the Environment	1970s  Average	1980s  Average	1990s  Average	2000s  Average	2010s  Average	2020s  Average
Slovenia:	0%	0%	46%	92%	98%	100%
World Rank:	52nd	⇣  114th	⇡  107th	⇡  9th	⇣  66th	⇡  1st
World Avg:	8.5%	23.3%	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%	95.0%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better10
Pos.		2011 %10
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
48	Malaysia	46.6%
49	Mozambique	46.5%
50	Laos	45.3%
51	Slovenia	45.1%
52	Spain	44.8%
53	Tanzania	44.2%
54	Bosnia & Herzegovina	44.0%
55	Congo, (Brazzaville)	44.0%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

With regard to the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, Slovenia comes 51st in the world. In a 2023 survey, 41% of Slovenians identified climate change as one of the four most serious problems facing the world (a bit less than the 46% EU average)₂₆. "Most expect business and industry (58%) and/or the EU (43%) to tackle climate change, while 22% 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 better13
Pos.		2021 kg13
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
104	Armenia	60.0
105	Suriname	60.8
106	Colombia	60.9
107	Slovenia	61.2
108	Bulgaria	61.8
109	Moldova	61.9
110	Costa Rica	62.2
111	China	63.6
	Europe Avg	71.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Still good for Europe Slovenia is positioned 107th 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_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.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Slovenia was well above the global average (of 49kgs per year), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment. In that decade, it reduced its consumption significantly.₁₃

On average throughout the 2010s, Slovenia's rate was 74.5.