Switzerland Leads World on Environment: study

by Jarrett Martineau | January 23, 2008 at 05:09 pm

524 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

Predictably, Switzerland and several Scandinavian countries have been given the highest ranks for 'environmental performance' in a recent report released at the 2008 World Economic Forum. Equally unsurprising is the incontrovertibly poor ranking given to the United States, whose performance was called "a national disgrace" by the dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science.

Switzerland ranks first in environmental performance but the world's largest economy, the United States, lags many industrialized nations, a report drawn up by U.S. university experts said on Wednesday.

Switzerland scored top marks among 149 countries measured in six environmental areas including air pollution, water quality and how they control industrial pollution, according to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index released at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

Sweden came second in the ranking, compiled by environmental experts at Yale University and Columbia University, followed by Norway, Finland and Costa Rica.