The U.S. is environmentally unsustainable

The U.S. ranked 45th out of 146 countries studied in an index of environmental sustainability that ranks nations on their success at such tasks as maintaining or improving air and water quality, maximizing biodiversity, and cooperating with other countries on environmental problems.

Even Russia ranked higher than the U.S., at 33rd.

The study, performed by researchers at Yale and Columbia universities, is based on 75 measures, including fertility rates, water quality, overfishing, emission of heat-trapping gases, emissions that contribute to acid rain, and the rate at which children die from respiratory diseases.

The top 10 countries: Finland, Norway, Uruguay, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, Switzerland, Guyana, Argentina, and Austria.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/24/science/24enviro.html