Brazil, India top index for good environmental behaviour; US ranks last

A recent survey, Greendex 2008, carried out among 14,000 people in 14 countries, studied how environment friendly the behaviour of consumers was

Consumers in developing countries scored the highest for their environmentally responsible behaviour--Brazilians and Indians tied for the highest 60 per cent. Those in developed countries scored low; the us was the lowest at 44.9 per cent

Consumers in developing countries believed global warming would worsen the way of life in their lifetime. But those in the us, Australia and Europe (more than 88 per cent) did not believe so

In developing countries, 60 per cent people said that environmental problems affected their health. Only 30 per cent people from developed countries said so

Unlike in the developed world, people in developing countries were more concerned about the environment, and were the most enthusiastic when it came to talking about or listening to environmental problems. Indians topped the list

People in developing countries often walked, cycled or used public transport, and chose to live close to their most common destinations. China topped the list; 53 per cent of consumers surveyed used public transport almost everyday. About 35 per cent people in India used public transport. However, in the us, the use of public transport was rare (5 per cent)

More people in developed countries owned cars, often large vehicles like minivans and suvs, and drove alone most frequently. In the us, 60 per cent of the consumers surveyed drove alone daily (the highest in the survey); in the uk 49 per cent did so. The figures were very different in China and India; here people rarely commuted alone in cars or large vehicles