The Moselle valley in Luxembourg and Germany. Expats praised the country's access to nature for hiking and cycling Shutterstock

The Moselle valley in Luxembourg and Germany. Expats praised the country's access to nature for hiking and cycling Shutterstock

The expat organisation’s first report on the subject was published on Wednesday and is based on results from the Expat Insider 2020 survey of people living and working in 60 countries.

Nine out of ten respondents in Luxembourg liked the country’s natural environment, citing the country’s “access to nature for hiking and bicycling” as a clear benefit. Some 80% viewed its energy supply positively, and 84% were satisfied with its waste management and recycling infrastructure.

Of the respondents, 83% found the Luxembourg government supported environmentally-friendly policies while 70% said the local population was very interested in environmental issues. Luxembourg received its worst rating for quality of environment, but still ranked in thirteenth place. Finland topped the ranking, followed by Sweden, Norway, Austria and Switzerland. India, Kuwait, Egypt, Indonesia and Vietnam fared worst.

Image: Internations/Expat Insider 2020

Earth overshoot day

The results, while based on individual perceptions, clash somewhat with environmental data for Luxembourg. With 626,000 residents at the start of the year, and some 200,000 cross-border workers, Luxembourg’s rampant resource consumption secures its place as the country with the second-earliest Earth overshoot day on 16 February 2020. The ecological footprint indicator is calculated as the day when a country uses up a full year’s worth of resources provided by the planet. The national average is calculated by dividing the average national consumption by population number, taking into account CO2 emissions and land use.

Luxembourg previously pledged to reduce emissions by 20% from 2005 to 2020. Transport fuel sales account for two thirds of the country’s carbon emissions.

Lockdown and pandemic-related travel restrictions led to a 70% drop in fuel sales in Luxembourg, prompting the government to postpone a planned excise duty on fuel. It means the country could still meet its CO2 target.