Finland has one of the cleanest air you can breathe. It ist comparable in sitze to Germany but has a very small population of only 5.5 million inhabitants. In Germany approximately 238 people live per square kilometer while in Finland it’s only 18 people per square kilometer. That’s one point why Finland’s air is so good but not the only one. 75% of the land area in Finland are covered by trees. The more trees, the more oxygen they produce which makes the air quality much better. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Finland to have the cleanest air in 2016 after taking measurements in 2500 different locations in almost 100 countries between 2008 and 2016. Finland’s fine dust pollution is 6 micrograms per cubic meter while the EU generally has an amount of 40 micrograms per cubic meter which is over three times more than the WHO recommends. When I was in Finland myself, I thought of ways to check how you can notice the better air. Looking how well you can see the stars compared to Germany was one idea I had (the less air pollution, the better you can see the stars) but it was mainly cloudy in the nights which is why I couldn’t check it that way. But I found another idea while doing research on this topic. There is a moss type called beard moss. It is a sign for very clean air because it is very sensitive about air pollution why it appears only at places with a high oxygen rate. When we went hiking in the forest I tried spotting it and I actually found it. I never saw it in Germany. That way I was able to prove that Finland’s air quality is actually better. It is said about the Finnish people that they are happier than people in other countries. Clean and damp air is good for the respiratory tracks but it has also an effect on mental well-being: it makes happier.
