Environmental impact survey: Where does India stand?

The study by UK-based MoneySuperMarket highlights the individual contribution to the world's climate while also highlighting areas for improvement for each country.

Johannesburg, June 16: Mozambique, the southern African country rated as one of the poorest, has topped a survey of nations with the lowest global environmental impact while India has ranked a dismal 75th in the report.

Mozambique topped the list because almost all its energy use comes from green sources.

India, on the other hand, was placed 75th, with renewable energy making up only 15.2 per cent of all energy used; only 2.2 per cent of waste water being recycled, and municipal waste of 0.34 kg per person being generated daily.

The rankings were based on different measurements that make up the average individual human impact in each country, including energy consumption, air pollution, waste production and reliance on non-renewable energy.

The study helps identify the biggest contributors to negative environmental impact, but the results are also surprising, placing four other African countries - Ethiopia, Zambia, Kenya and Ghana - in the top seven for lowest environmental impact.

Africa as a continent topped the charts and featured strongly in its use of green energy, low CO2 emissions and low levels of air pollution and waste production.

But Mozambique's biggest neighbour South Africa, at 95th, ranks among the worst performers for its impact on the environment, faring marginally better though than first world nations such as Australia, Canada and the US.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the worst country for environmental impact, the CO2 emissions are an average of 37.1 tonnes per person.

PTI