U.S., Environmental Lagger

The United States ranked 39th out of 149 countries on an environmental performance list which evaluates sanitation, greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural policies, air pollution and 20 other measures. The U.S. scored an 81 out of a possible 100. The four countries at the top of the list were Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Finland, which received scores of 87 or higher. Switzerland's high scores for greenhouse gas efficiency can be, at least partly, attributed to its use of hydroelectric power and its transportation system, which relies heavily on trains.

This list was first created in 2002 from research done by Yale and Columbia Universities. The 2007 list will be released this month at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Daniel Esty, one of the reports authors, notes that the U.S. received low scores on three different greenhouse gas emission categories as well as a smog indicator. Another researcher noted that a country's wealth correlated with high scores on sanitation and disease control, but low scores on greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural policies.