Oh dear. It seems, despite what the politicians might tell us, we're not so green as a country after all.
According to research published by Reader's Digest (the credentials are a little more impressive than it would first appear: the analysis was conducted by US environmental economist Matthew Kahn using the UN 2006 Human Development Index and the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index), Britain ranks only 93rd among 141 countries when it comes to energy efficiency, which includes "conservation efforts and renewable energy use", and 77th for its greenhouse gas emissions.
We were rated better in other areas - 15th for water quality and 41st for air quality - but, overall, Britain was ranked 25th in the list of "greenest and best places to live".
We were beaten by Ireland (7th) and France (16th) and left in the dust behind the top-ranking countries - in order, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Austria. Britain was even beaten by the US (23rd). If nothing else, that should act as a strong dose of smelling salts.
Lists are always fun to pore over, but lists such as this can prove useful, too. If Britain as a country has ambitions to try and persuade other countries to also do their bit when it comes to improving their environmental performance, then they will lack serious moral authority if they can't show they walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Who would you rather receive a friendly lecture from if you were, say, China (84th) or India (104th) - Britain or Finland?
Another reason why these rankings are important is that they can also introduce a sense of competition. No one likes to be bottom of the class so it could spur some countries to try and claw their way up the list. Obviously, the ones at the very bottom of the list - Ethiopia, Niger, Sierra Leone etc - have much more pressing things to concern themselves about other than where they rank of the list of "greenest and best places to live", but Britain, for example, should now feel shamed enough not to want to be ranked lower than the US the next time the list is published.
Likewise, I would like to see more lists produced within the UK that rank cities, towns and regions according to their overall environmental performance. Rivalry between neighbours - as we see in sport - can be a greater motivator to self-improvement.
