Iceland Environment - 2024

Environment - current issues

water pollution from fertilizer runoff

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Climate

temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

Land use

agricultural land: 18.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 1.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 17.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 0.3% (2018 est.)

other: 81% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 94% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 5.79 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 2.06 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 0.59 megatons (2020 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 525,000 tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 293,003 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 55.8% (2013 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 200 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural: 300,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources

170 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Geoparks

total global geoparks and regional networks: 2

global geoparks and regional networks: Katla; Reykjanes (2023)