According to Sydney Morning Herald, a major international survey of more than 200 nations worldwide shows that Australia included in the top 10 countries that are the worst environmental polluters on the planet. The ranking was derived from a cross reference of data the World Resources Institute, the United Nations, and the World Bank.

Brazil leads the list because even though it is a developing country, it has problems over land-clearing in most of the rainforest in the Amazon. Singapore was classified as the world's worst offender on a per capita basis, followed by Korea, Qatar, Kuwait and Japan.

The recent report opposes the idea that high levels of education, wealth, and access to non-polluting technology brings out a better environment. The survey suggests that the nation becomes more environmentally aware and the impacts start declining as the nation becomes richer.

Species extinction, forest and habitat loss, greenhouse gas emissions, fertilisers and fisheries use were measured by researchers from three universities. The three universities involved were the Adelaide University, Princeton University of the United States, and National University of Singapore.

The report rolled up as the United Nations released its own summary of the impact of climate change on Africa, which concluded that progress in reduction of poverty and food security is more likely to be reversed as the continent continues to heat up.