10. Somalia

As with a lot environmental underperformers, Somalia has struggled with almost 20 years

of civil war. Only having re-establishing a permanent central government in 2012, ecological

protection has gone by the wayside. In 2014, Somalia finished last in the Environmental

Performance Index.

The index annually ranks 178 countries on how well they combat high-priority environmental

issues. This ranking is largely due to the country's focus on short-term survival in

wartime, relying on widespread tree cutting and charcoal burning. This has reduced Somalia's

forested areas to less than 200 sq. km in total, a rough 15% reduction since 1990.

Another factor was the country's poor biodiversity scores, which were impacted not only by deforestation,

but Somalia's illegal fishing trade. An estimated $300 million worth of illegally

plundered seafood each year has significantly affected marine life in the area, and after

the Tsunami in 2005, nuclear waste washing ashore lead to the deaths of over 300 from

radiation poisoning.

9. China

A 2016 study by the World Health Organization found that China is the world's deadliest

country for outdoor air pollution. It estimated that in 2012, they were responsible for over

a 7th of the world's deaths from outdoor air pollution, with over 1.5 million dying

a year.

It's also the world's biggest emitter of Greenhouse Gas, accounting for around a

third of the world's production. China have shown awareness of the danger their emissions

pose the planet, becoming the world's leading providers of solar energy in 2016. But in

the same year, China backtracked on a policy that's equally as impactful to the planet:

overpopulation.

At current rates of resource consumption, many scientists believe the Earth won't

support its population beyond the year 2100. With 1.4 billion inhabitants, China is Earth's

most populous nation, but they rescinded their one-child-per-family rule in 2016, and their

population increased almost half a percent the same year.

8. Russia

After more than 80 years of the Soviet Union came to an end in 1991, Russia was left with

severe environmental problems. Soviet Union leaders had long valued industrialisation

and economic growth over pollution control, which became a low priority. While this has

largely improved, issues persist, almost 30 years later.

At 4.48%, Russia currently produces more of the global Greenhouse Gas Emissions than the

100 lowest countries combined. And according to climate change advocacy group DARA, just

under 100,000 people die in Russia every year as a result of carbon pollution.

Russia have joined the Paris Agreement to curb global emission, but faced widespread

criticism for their low targets. Instead of trying to improve upon current output, Russia

tasked themselves with producing 30% less CO2 than in 1990, starting in 2020. For the

last few years, Russia have already been achieving this, and their unambitious goals landed them

7 places from the bottom in 2018's Climate Change Performance Index, ranking 53rd.

7. Australia

Since the European settlement in the 1800's, roughly 13% of Australia's original vegetation

has been removed to make way for agricultural land. This deforestation has increased CO2

output, but also increased the salt content of the soil, with around 7% of Western Australia

suffering from high soil salinity.

This, as well as extensive illegal fishing has significantly added to the extinction

of Australia's animals. In 2005, 17 of 82 species in Australian waters were classified

as overfished, and a study lead by Anthony Waldron of Oxford University estimated that

Australia were responsible for 5 to 10% of the total global biodiversity loss between

1996 and 2008.

The country are also serial polluters, discharging an estimated 19,000 tonnes of phosphorus and

141,000 tonnes of nitrogen a year into rivers that flow to the coast. The world's 16th

biggest carbon emitters also recorded their highest emissions on record in 2017, placing

them 57th in the 2018 Climate Change Performance Rankings.

6. Afghanistan

When years of civil war were followed by an American invasion, Afghanistan's ecosystem

has been significantly degraded. In 2012, DARA identified climate change and pollution

to be two of the country's leading causes of premature death. This is primarily attributed

to food spoiling and water contamination, and took 90,000 lives in 2010.

Another major impact on Afghanistan's ecosystem is the rise of illegal hunting. Ongoing conflict

has limited the government's ability to successfully monitor the poaching, over 150

animal species are now at risk of extinction in the country. However, Afghanistan's first

three national parks were built between 2012 and 2015 to combat this.

The country has also tried to combat its water crisis, providing clean water to around 77%

of its population in 2017. This is up from around 55% just a year before, slightly reducing

Afghanistan's position as a major proponent of the spread on water borne diseases.

5. Saudi Arabia

As the world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has contributed significantly to perpetuating

a world built around oil-based energy production. The country produced 17% of global oil exports

in 2015, and they are the 10th biggest carbon emitters on the planet, despite only having

the 10th largest land mass.

Frequent oil spills and the infilling of 40% of its coastlines have led to Saudi Arabia's

ocean being a highly inhabitable area for most fish species. 50 percent of its mangrove

trees have been wiped out, which has been shown to decrease the population of certain

types of fish up to 25 times.

Saudi Arabia ranked 60th in the 2018 Climate Change Performance Index, earning bottom place.

This was attributed to the country's very low ratings in every single category, and

in all indicators for emissions and renewable energy. Weak climate change policies, and

poor appearance in international negotiations was also blamed.

4. Indonesia

Despite having the 17th largest land area, Indonesia is the world's fifth largest emitter

of greenhouse gas. This can mostly be attributed to mass conversion of its forests and carbon-rich

areas known as peatlands to make way for agricultural land.

In 2010, the climate change advocacy group DARA reported that this level of carbon emission

is responsible for roughly 150,000 deaths a year. Currently, the study estimates that

this death toll will rise to 200,000 a year by 2030, although the Indonesian government

has committed to a minimum 26% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to curb this.

Conversion of Indonesia's natural land has also considerably affected the species that

inhabit the nation. A 2017 study published in the online journal 'Nature' found that

Indonesia had 'absolutely the highest number of declining species', having been responsible

for 21 percent of the global decline between 1996 and 2008.

3. India

In the last 30 years, over 14,000 square kilometers of India's forests have been cleared to

make way for industrial projects, reducing India's forestation by around 5%. Some of

this was for hydroelectric plants, but the majority has been repurposed for mining, fuelling

the coal industry at the expense of the planet's natural resources.

This mass industrialisation also meant that India is home to 11 of the 20 most polluted

cities on the entire planet. This is largely because India's near 1.5 billion person

population is growing at an average rate of 1.2% per annum, and is projected to overtake

China as the world's most populous country.

This will have numerous fallouts for the planet, including its growing consumption of non-biodegradable

plastic and waning hygiene standards in rural areas, increasing pollution and decreasing

population. All of this saw India drop 36 places in the Environmental Performance ranks

between 2016 and 2018, now sitting just four places from the bottom.

2. USA

Despite ranking 27th in the 2018 Environmental Performance Index, the United States was one

of the worst performers of all the industrialised nations. Another 2018 study, the Climate Change

Performance Index, ranked the US 56th out of the 60 countries it studied.

The Index attributed this to the fallout of the new administration's climate change

policies. This saw the world's second largest carbon gas emitter dismantle its clean power

plan, increase its CO2 emission by 14 million metric tons and leave the Paris Climate Agreement.

And given the country's relative power in the world, the ramifications of their environmental

decisions carry considerable weight. Their proposed Greenhouse Gas cuts in the agreement

would have accounted for 20% of the entire global emission cuts outlined in the deal.

So as Global Warming approaches a point of no return, America's absence from the deal

will see significant ramifications in the years to come.

1. Brazil

Brazil is home to the Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest on Earth, known as 'The

Lungs of the World'. The Amazon recycles carbon dioxide to produce more than 20% of

the Earth's Oxygen, but over 150 acres of the forest are destroyed every minute for

various reasons, including Brazil's vast cocoa exports.

Over 20% of the Amazon has already been destroyed, releasing stored carbon dioxide into the ozone.

It's also believed that the planet loses 137 plant, animal and insect species every

single day due to rainforest deforestation, and Brazil has the world's largest area

of forest removed annually.

In 2010, the Union of Concerned Scientists revealed that the country had reduced deforestation

by 67% since 2005. But in 2017, the abolishment of an Amazonian reserve the size of Denmark

was described by the Sustainability Network party, as the “biggest attack on the Amazon

of the last 50 years”, casting a serious shadow over Brazil's environmental future.

So that was 10 Countries That Are Killing The Planet. Did your country make the list?

Any big surprises? Let us know in the comments below, and don't forget to like and subscribe.

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