Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2024

Context

The 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) has been released, ranking 180 countries on their environmental performance. The EPI is a biennial report produced by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of countries’ environmental health and ecosystem vitality, offering insights into the state of the environment and identifying areas for improvement.

Methodology

The EPI evaluates countries’ performance across 11 categories, including:

• Air Quality: Sampling and analysis of suspended aerosols and air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2. 5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions.
• Water Quality: Consideration of access to safe water for drinking, adequate disposal of sewage, wastewater, and water pollution.
• Biodiversity and Habitat: Assessing species preservation, habitat Palmer & Doyle (2012) and ecosystem services.
• Climate Change: Accounting of GreenHouse Gases, policies related with climate change and the varied impacts of climate change.
• Environmental Health Impacts: Estimation of the human health effects of air and water pollutants.
• Fisheries: Road map for the assessment of sustainable fishing techniques and marine protection.
• Forests: Assessment of forest resources and diseases, identification of areas of forest loss, and the principles and practices of tackling deforestation.
• Pollution Emissions: Gauging the amount of toxic substances released to the atmosphere such as mercury and lead.
• Waste Management: Assessing community aspects including waste collection, recycling level as well as the methods of waste disposal.
• Water Resources: This involves the indicator on access to safe drinking water, water shortage, and adequate water utilisation.

Global Rankings

The top five countries in the 2024 EPI rankings are:

• Denmark (1st): Demonstrating strong performance across all categories, particularly in air and water quality, and climate change.
• Switzerland (2nIV.: Showing excellent performance in environmental health impacts, air quality, and water resources.
• United Kingdom (3rIV.: Performing well in climate change, air quality, and waste management.
• Sweden (4th): Excelling in environmental health impacts, biodiversity and habitat, and forest conservation.
• Finland (5th): Demonstrating strong performance in air quality, water resources, and waste management.

Regional Trends

• The effectiveness of performance measurement in registration is exhibited in the regional trends analysed in the report. European nations usually do better, many of them are on the list of the best 20 nations out of 139.
• However, it is evident that a large number of countries in Africa and Asia continue to struggle with environmental problems thereby underlining the importance of the need to support and foster cooperation in these countries in these crises.

Country-Specific Performance

These include questionnaires, surveys, interviews, overview of each country’s environment and specific written and or documented reports on environmental performance. For example:

• Unsurprisingly, India ranks 165: It faces severe air and water pollution, limited capabilities to protect biodiverse areas, and concerning trends in its environmental health profile.
• According to the EPI, China has risen by 5 ranks to 120th place; while some progress has been made in areas such as transitioning to renewable resources and reducing emission of fine particulate matter, the country still faces issues regarding water contamination, climate change, and negative effects on environmental health.
• The United States appears at the 27th position, which shows its strengths in some indexes but a lack of progress in climate change, impacts of environmental health, and management of wastes.

Conclusion

The 2024 Environmental Performance Index provides a comprehensive assessment of global environmental performance, highlighting both successes and challenges. While some countries demonstrate strong environmental leadership, others face significant environmental challenges. The report offers valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, highlighting areas for improvement and the need for increased cooperation to address global environmental issues.

Source: EE

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. Which of the following indicators are used to rank countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI)?

I. Air Quality 

II. Biodiversity and Habitat 

III. Water Resources 

IV. Climate Change Mitigation

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

a) I and II

b) I , II and III

c) I , II and IV

d) I , II, III and IV

Ans – “d”

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