Indians have best green behaviour: Global survey

Indians have best green behaviour: Global survey

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

 
 

New Delhi: The rest of the world might well be turning green with envy. India has the most sustainable consumption pattern, says a 17-nation survey that measures consumer behaviour impacting the environment. 

    Over the past two years, Indians have shown an increasing environmentally friendly behaviour, the quantitative consumer study, released on Thursday, shows. India scored 62.6 points in the overall green index to retain the top rank. Brazil (58) came second, followed by China (57.3). The US, among the most energy guzzling countries in the world, finished last with a score of 45. 

    The survey, Greendex 2010: Consumer Choice and the Environment — A World Tracking Survey, was carried out by National Geographic Society and international polling firm GlobeScan. First conducted in 2008, it is a comprehensive measure of consumer behaviour in 65 areas relating to housing, transportation, food and consumer goods. Greendex 2010 ranked average consumers according to environmental impacts of their consumption patterns. It measured their transportation patterns, energy and resource use among other tings. 

Green Path 

Survey ranks consumers in 17 countries according to environmental impact of their consumption patterns 

Indians show the most sustainable behaviour. Americans last in the list 

Indians mostly use public transport & eat local food Indians most frequent users of public transport 

New Delhi: In the annual survey, India came second in housing behind Brazil. But it topped in other sectors like transportation, food and goods to finish overall first in environmental sustainability behaviour. 

    The 17 surveyed countries, according to 2010's overall ranking are: India, Brazil, China, Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Hungary, South Korea, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Germany, Japan, Britain, France, Canada and USA. India had topped the rankings in 2009 too. The year before, Brazil had claimed the first spot. India stood at No 2. 

    The 2010 survey said Chinese and Indian consumers were the most frequent users of public transport and also the most likely to report that they use it to save fuel and reduce pollution at least in part. Australians, Russians, Chinese and Indians were the most likely to consume locally grown food. India and China were the only two countries in which a majority of consumer report avoiding excessively packaged goods. The study also noted a growing trend to conserve fresh water among Indians and Russians. Despite the rosy picture, according to the Greendex 2010 survey, Indians were also the most likely to say that seriousness of environmental problems was exaggerated. "In all other countries surveyed, fewer than one-quarter said that they were discouraged from taking action because they think that environmental problems are exaggerated, while 40% of Indians said they feel this way. In the longer term, these perceptions may act as a brake on a adoption of sustainable lifestyles in India as the subcontinent's economy continues to develop,'' the survey said.

 
 

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