These frequently asked questions should address the most common inquiries we receive about the GGEI:
Q: Which countries are covered in the GGEI?
A: The GGEI covers 160 nations including:
Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia Asia: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam Europe: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom Latin America & the Caribbean: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobego, Uruguay North America: Canada, United States of America Oceania: Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
Q: The GGEI only covers 160 nations. How can this be a global index if some countries aren’t included?
A: There are a variety of limitations to creating a global index, mostly related to data availability. As a result, it is not always feasible to cover every country in the world in a manner that is methodologically sound. We are committed to building the GGEI over time to cover more and more countries, and will continue to pursue this as funding subscriptions and other revenue sources and partnerships grow. We are pleased to cover 160 nations in the GGEI, increasing our coverage from 130 in the last edition in 2018.
Q: What is the definition of a green economy and how can I learn more about it?
A: According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), a green economy is “low-carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive.” For an in-depth look at the green economy concept, please click here.
Q: Why is an index measuring green economic performance important?
A: Indices are at root communications tools that empower diverse stakeholders to better understand where they stand relative to others, given available data. An index measuring green economic performance is important to support policy makers and the private sector in making smart decisions about policies and investments to accelerate the transition to a greener economy.
Q: Why does the GGEI measure perceptions of country performance in the green economy?
A: Understanding perceptions is particularly important to illuminate gaps in understanding about green economy and its different components, as well as to show where communications can be utilized to advance green economic growth. Our work publishing the GGEI has revealed large gaps in information and understanding about what is meant by a green economy and how the concept should be interpreted in such diverse geographic contexts.
Q: Who funds the GGEI?
A: The GGEI is funded through client subscriptions and consulting revenues to its publisher, US-based consultancy Dual Citizen LLC.
Q: How can countries improve their performance on the GGEI for future editions?
A: The best approach to improving country performance is for leaders in-country to get serious about green economic growth by focusing on making sectors more resource efficient, managing their environment and natural capital and channeling the necessary public and private capital to achieve these goals. Subscribing to the GGEI can assist leaders in this process by offering an in-depth, customized look at their country from the point of view of the areas we measure, as well as other ones relevant to the market in question.
Q: In a global economy, how can you measure the green performance of individual countries when their environmental impacts can be “offshored?”
A: In today’s global economy, it is extremely challenging to determine which actors should be credited or debited for behavior in the green economy. Some countries have increasingly shifted manufacturing overseas, along with the associated carbon emissions. Other countries extract natural capital within their borders for sale and consumption elsewhere. Moving forward, it is critical to better understand how these shifts impact green economic performance on a country-level and the GGEI will look to incorporate these new datasets as they become available. Please visit the Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) and the Global Footprint Network for more information on how to approach this complex issue.
Q: Is it possible to access the full data results from the GGEI?
A: The full data results from the GGEI are only available to our subscribing clients. But we publish an in-depth report with each new edition of the GGEI, where high level results and insights can be found.
Q: Can I use data, graphics, and other charts from the GGEI in presentations or reports?
A: Absolutely. We encourage academics, policymakers, practitioners, businesses and the media to integrate these visuals to their own work with proper recognition. In using our data, insight and other content, we simply ask that you reference Dual Citizen LLC as publisher of the Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI), with a link to our website.