The Environmental Performance Index (EPI), a tool that was developed to measure the environmental performance of a country’s policies, has ranked Canada 46th out of the 163 countries measured.

The major environmental factor that pushed Canada further down the list was its ranking for greenhouse gas emissions per capita: 151st, beaten by all industrialized nations except Australia. This GHG ranking was based on data that was collected for the years 2007 and 2008 without even accounting for 2009!

A few other disappointing rankings revealed by the EPI were:

– 125th (out 127 countries) on fisheries conservation; beaten by Australia, New Zealand and Iceland. The US also scored better than Canada – mainly due to its federal regulations for sustainable fisheries.

– 80th on preserving biodiversity and habitat;

– 140th in preserving the vitality of ecosystems;

– 146th in sulphur dioxide emissions;

– 147th in nitrous oxide emissions.

It seems Canada will have to saddle up to start revitalizing its reputation as an environmental leader!