KEY POINTS:
New Zealand has scored seventh place out of more than 140 countries for its environmental sustainability.
The Environmental Performance Index, a collaborative effort between Yale and Columbia Universities in the US, was designed as a way of quantifying and benchmarking the environmental performance of each country's policies.
There wasn't a separate commentary on New Zealand in the report, but the scores speak for themselves.
New Zealand scored 88.9 overall on the index, achieving a perfect 100 in the areas of water and sanitation. It scored 99 for environmental health and 78.8 for ecosystem vitality, but the lowest scores were for pesticide regulation, marine protected areas, biodiversity and emissions.
The US placed 39th, far behind other developed states such as the United Kingdom, 14th, and Japan, 21st.
Australia ranked 46th, with low scores for water stress, pesticide regulation, climate change and emissions.
The top-ranked country was Switzerland, with an overall ranking of 95.5.
