According to the current “Report Card” produced by UNICEF’s Office of Research, Innocenti, the world’s richest countries are contributing to the deterioration of the global environment, putting the present and future of children all over the globe at risk.

Countries such as Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Norway, which are working to create healthy settings within their borders, have the polar opposite approach toward children around the world.

According to the press release, “some of the world’s wealthiest countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the United States, have a severe and pervasive impact on global habitats.”
The “Innocenti Report Card 17: Places and Spaces” analyses the performance of 39 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union (EU) in terms of providing healthy surroundings for children.

More than 20 million children in these countries have higher amounts of lead in their blood, which is one of the most dangerous chemicals.

Finland, Iceland, and Norway are in the top third for providing a healthy environment for their children, but they are in the bottom third for providing a healthy environment for the rest of the world, with high rates of emissions, e-waste, and consumerism.