Did you know that two Polish cities are included in the ranking of climate and environmentally friendly cities?
More and more travellers around the world are making it a priority to visit sustainable destinations. The Global Destination Sustainability Movement annually rates cities on their environmental friendliness. The assessment covers four main areas: environmental performance, which takes into account public transport policy, carbon emissions and the use of renewable energy sources; social effectiveness, covering aspects such as personal safety, health and well-being; management method; and the sustainability of tourism service providers such as airports, hotels and restaurants in a given city.
In 2023, the group expanded its list to 100 cities around the world. In the top 20 destinations ranking, Denmark took the top spot, with five cities in the top 20. Sweden also gained three places in this ranking. For the seventh time in a row, the most sustainable city was Gothenburg, Sweden, which is located on an archipelago. The city has been actively involved in environmental protection policy. One of the ambitious projects is the Gothenburg Green City Zone, which aims to completely eliminate emissions in this zone by 2030 thanks to modern means of transport and infrastructure. Gothenburg Airport holds the highest certification, Airport Carbon Accreditation, and its shuttle bus is powered by rapeseed oil. The city's southern islands are completely vehicle-free and can only be reached by public transport. With a score of 94.64% out of 100%, Gothenburg is recognised as one of the greenest cities in the world.
In Poland , Cracow (43% out of 100%) and Gdansk (29% out of 100%) were rated the highest. Krakow focuses on improving air quality, developing urban mobility, energy efficiency of buildings, the quality of green areas and increasing their availability, and raising the ecological and climate awareness of residents. In Gdańsk, city authorities are focusing on eliminating plastic use, promoting local culture and creating alternative and attractive tourist destinations in revitalised areas.
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