Canada's Environmental Health Lags Developed World: Conference Board Report

Canada is an environmental laggard compared to other
 developed nations, according to a new report from
The Conference Board Of Canada. (CP)

Canada is an 'environmental laggard,' according to a new report from The Conference Board of Canada.

The study ranks Canada 15th out of 17th developed nations on environmental performance, ahead of only The United States and last place Australia.

The bottom three are also the largest nations surveyed in terms of land mass and all depend on natural resources for a large part of their economic output.

While Australia may be better-known for its beaches and exotic wildlife, its proximity to lucrative Asian markets and its abundant natural resources have led to a recent commodity boom which has had a major impact on the environment.

Canada's situation, replacing Asia with The United States, is similar.

"Our large land mass, cold climate and resource-intensive economy make us less likely to rank highly on some indicators of environmental sustainability, but many of our poor results are based on our inefficient use of our resources," said Len Coad, a director at the influential think tank.

- Huffingtonpost.ca