Singapore fourth in global green rankings

Singapore has topped the charts on some measures of environmental performance, such as water resources and health, in the latest edition of a global index.

But it fared dismally on other measures such as the protection of habitats in the sea and on land.

The 2014 Environmental Performance Index, by Yale and Columbia universities in the United States, was released at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Saturday. The biennial index is a report card of countries' environmental measures, from climate change to pesticide use.

Singapore came in fourth of 178 countries ranked, behind Switzerland, Luxembourg and Australia - up from 28th of 163 countries in 2010, the last time it was ranked.

Singapore topped world rankings on wastewater treatment and water resources, and shared the top spot with 22 other countries on low child mortality. But on air quality, measured by satellite data, it was 15th. And it was 109th in marine and terrestrial protected areas, behind top-ranked Botswana, Brunei, and Switzerland, among others.

The rankings and methods can be viewed at www.epi.yale.edu/epi.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.