The 2008 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was launched today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Index, produced by a team of environmental experts at Yale University and Columbia University, found that Switzerland tops the global list of countries ranked by environmental performance.

The 2008 EPI ranks 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked across six established policy categories: Environmental Health, Air Pollution, Water Resources, Biodiversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Climate Change. The EPI identifies broadly-accepted targets for environmental performance and measures how close each country comes to these goals.

The 2008 EPI ranks Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Costa Rica in the top five. Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Niger occupy the bottom five positions.

To download the full press release, please click here.

Download the Summary for Policymakers.

To read more please visit the official EPI website here.

If you are from the media and would like to schedule an interview with one of the lead authors of the EPI Daniel Esty, please contact Ysella Edyvean on +1-203-432-5967 or by e-mail on ysella.edyvean@yale.edu.