OTTAWA, Oct. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- North American countries take their natural resources for granted and are among the worst performers in the industrialized world in 29 key environmental areas, says a study released Tuesday.

    The study, conducted at Simon Fraser University and released by David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental protection group in Canada, rates Canada 28th among 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

    It puts Canada last among the 30 countries in nuclear waste andcarbon monoxide production, and 29th in per capita water consumption.

    European countries such as Switzerland, Denmark and Germany ranked at the top of the environmental list, while Canada, Belgium and the United States were at the bottom, the study says.

    Suzuki says North Americans take their natural resources for granted while most European countries have dealt with environmental crises for years.

    A report issued by the group in 2003 said that Canada's per capita energy consumption was the highest in the world, with its 30 million people consuming same amount of energy as 700 million Africans. Enditem