As a global economic powerhouse and pillar of military might, it's hard for the U.S. to accept second place on any international contest… much less 28th. Such is the dismal outlook of the Environmental Performance Index – a nation-by-nation study of environmental standards worldwide conducted by Yale and Columbia universities and released last month at the Davos Conference in Switzerland.

The U.S. ranks behind much of Western Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Malaysia, and Chile based on categories ranging from air quality and biodiversity to drinking water purity and greenhouse gas emissions. A quick glance at Uncle Sam's eco-profile shows high marks for indoor air pollution, drinking water quality, and rate of timber harvest, but poor results for high ozone levels, meager wilderness protections, overfishing, and renewable-energy applications.

Ever-feisty conservatives such as this Washington Times columnist dismiss the results of the study, alleging that the “result is more an index of political correctness than a true measure of environmental sustainability.”

Photo credit: Yale.edu