The US is far behind other industrialized nations on environmental performance and now ranks 24th in the world, according to a new analysis by Yale and Columbia universities. 

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Denmark came in first place, followed by Luxembourg and Switzerland. The United Kingdom ranked fourth. 

The findings come as the Trump administration has continued to weaken environmental protections in a quest to relax rules on industry and expand fossil fuel development which threatens to put the country even further behind its peers.

Donald Trump has called himself a “big believer in the environment” and insisted he wants “the cleanest water, the cleanest air” but in the Environmental Performance Index’s two-decade history, including during his presidency, the US has never risen to the top of the rankings. 

“Countries that make an effort do better than those that don’t and the US right now is not making an effort. That shows up in a stagnation in the rankings where others are really seeing some […]