Environmental performance - New Zealand Ranks First

New Zealand ranks first in the world in environmental performance according to the pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by a team of environmental experts at the environment school at Yale University and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The 16 indicators used to rank nations are: child mortality, indoor air pollution, drinking water, adequate sanitation, urban particulates, regional ozone, nitrogen loading, water consumption, wilderness protection, ecoregion protection, timber harvest rate, agricultural subsidies, overfishing, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CO2 per Gross Domestic Product. Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom are ranked two to five respectively. The lowest-ranked countries are Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger. Full report is available at http://www.yale.edu/epi