Israel is ranked 49th of 149 countries and number one in the Middle East in the 2008 Yale and Columbia University's Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Israel scored 97.9 on environmental health but 61.3 on ecosystem vitality for an overall score of 79.6.
The index is a weighted rating of 25 variables grouped to measure two broad objectives: environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The objectives were measured by six broad policy categories and several sub-categories, including the effects of air and water pollution on human health and the ecosystem, productive natural resources (fisheries, forest, and agriculture), biodiversity, and climate change.
Switzerland was ranked in first place in the EPI, followed by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Costa Rica. The US was ranked 39th, the UK 14th, and Japan 21st. Several African countries were at the bottom of the list: Niger, Angola, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, and Mali. In the Middle East, Israel is first, followed by Cyprus and Tunisia, while Iraq and Yemen close the group.
Israel scored 100 on sanitation, drinking water, and local and regional ozone, but only 67.8 on water quality and 16.9 on water stress. Israel's scores by sub-categories were: environmental burden - 99.8; water - 100; effect of air pollution on humans - 92; effect of air pollution on the environment - 75.2; water ecosystem - 42.4; biodiversity and habitat - 62.7; productive natural resources - 76.6 including - 46.5 for agriculture; and climate change - 60.5.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 27, 2008
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