Australia is performing poorly on managing the health threats posed to children and teenagers from climate change, says a UN-backed report.

The new global index ranks countries on key environmental conditions that are need for children aged 0–18 to survive and thrive in the future, which includes projected greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

One part of the index, that looked at “child flourishing”, ranked Australia 20 out of the 180 countries and territories — making it one of the worst performing high-income countries, although the US ranked lower at 38.

Norway, South Korea and the Netherlands were ranked as the top three.