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Environmental Performance Index
Quantifying the environmental effect of a state's policies

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a method of quantifying and numerically marking the environmental performance of a state's policies, highlightning the degradation of the planet's life-supporting systems on which humanity depends. A world economy that continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels translates into ongoing air and water pollution, acidification of the oceans, and rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These changes threaten the survival of species already suffering from widespread habitat loss, pushing them closer to extinction. Recent analyses show that humanity has already transgressed six out of nine critical planetary boundaries that define Earth's safe operating space — and is close to crossing a seventh.

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was started in 2002 by World Economic Forum in association with the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (Yale University) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network Earth Institute (Columbia University). The biennial EPI report harnesses the latest data sets, science, and technology to provide the most comprehensive assessment of the state of sustainability around the world. In total, the 2024 EPI report incorporates 58 indicators to rank 180 countries on their progress at mitigating climate change, safeguarding ecosystem vitality, and promoting environmental health. This broad set of metrics is a powerful tool to track progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the climate mitigation targets in the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, and the biodiversity protection goals in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

In 2023, the first global assessment of progress toward the goals of the Paris Agreement revealed a grim picture: the world is far off track. Despite record deployment of renewable energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions keep rising. As the world enters uncharted climatic territory, there is a heightened risk of crossing irreversible tipping points in the planet's climate system.

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Methodology

Over time, the methodology for the EPI has been criticized for its arbitrary choice of metrics which could introduce bias, and its poor performance as an indicator for environmental sustainability.3 Additional criticisms center on the EPI's lack of specific policy suggestions, and the index's weighting biases against data deficient countries that has led to the overlooking of ecological progress in developing countries.4

In 2024, India was ranked at 176 in the list and rejected the low ranking. As per a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), it claimed that several indicators used in the calculation were based on unfounded assumptions and unscientific methods.567

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe found 3 Pros: EPI provides an easily comparable index; EPI's ecosystem vitality scores are based on six constituent policy categories: water resources, agriculture, forests, fisheries, biodiversity and habitat, and climate and energy; the referenced database yields maps for each of EPI's partial indices (normalised to 0 … 100) and 3 Cons: CIESIN's EPI rather is an attempt to quantitatively represent the ecological performance of countries and companies; actual reasons for dysfunctionalities might need further research; EPI would be a more policy-relevant index.8

As a result of these criticisms, the number of EPI indicators has increased, and their weight has changed, to provide a better data-driven summary of the state of sustainability around the world. The 2024 index is based on 58 performance indicators grouped into 30 issue categories with an objective of environmental health, ecosystem vitality and climate change, ranking 180 countries.9

2024 EPI indicators and weights (%)
Policy ObjectiveWt. (%)Issue CategoryWt. (%)IndicatorWt. (%)
Ecosystem Vitality45%Biodiversity & Habitat25Marine KBA Protection12.0
Marine Habitat Protection12.0
Marine Protection Stringency2.0
Protected Areas Representativeness Index12.0
Species Protection Index16.0
Terrestrial Biome Protection10.0
Terrestrial KBA Protection10.0
Protected Area Effectiveness2.0
Protected Human Land2.0
Red List Index12.0
Species Habitat Index8.0
Bioclimatic Ecosystem Resilience2.0
Forests5Primary Forest Loss30.0
Intact Forest Landscape Loss30.0
Tree cover loss weighted by permanency25.0
Net change in tree cover10.0
Forest Landscape Integrity5.0
Fisheries2Fish Stock Status15.0
Fish Catch Discarded20.0
Bottom Trawling in EEZ25.0
Bottom Trawling in Global Ocean35.0
Regional Marine Trophic Index5.0
Air Pollution6Ozone exposure KBAs8.3
Ozone exposure croplands8.3
Adj. emissions growth rate for nitrous oxides41.7
Adj. emissions growth rate for sulfur dioxide41.7
Agriculture3Sustainable Nitrogen Management Index40.0
Phosphorus Surplus3.3
Pesticide Pollution Risk16.7
Relative Crop Yield40.0
Water Resources5Wastewater generated10.0
Wastewater collected40.0
Wastewater treated40.0
Wastewater reused10.0
Environmental Health25%Air Quality17Anthropogenic PM2.5 exposure38.2
Household solid fuels38.2
Ozone exposure8.8
NOx exposure5.9
SO2 exposure2.9
CO exposure2.9
VOC exposure2.9
Sanitation & Drinking Water5Unsafe sanitation40.0
Unsafe drinking water60.0
Heavy Metals2Lead exposure100.0
Waste Management1Waste generated per capita40.0
Controlled solid waste20.0
Waste recovery rate40.0
Climate Change30%Climate Change Mitigation30Adjusted emissions growth rate for carbon dioxide25.0
CO2 growth rate (country- specific targets)1.7
Adjusted emissions growth rate for methane10.0
Adjusted emissions growth rate for F-gases6.7
Adjusted emissions growth rate for nitrous oxide3.3
Adjusted emissions growth rate for black carbon5.0
Net carbon fluxes due to land cover change3.3
GHG growth rate adjusted by emissions intensity20.0
GHG growth rate adjusted by per capita emissions20.0
Projected emissions in 20503.3
Projected cumulative emissions to 2050 relative to carbon budget1.7
Note: Wt. (%) is percent weights of overall EPI. Weights are rounded and may not add up to 100%.1011

List of countries by 2024 EPI scores

The 2024 Environmental Performance Index report ranks 180 countries and territories, based on 58 performance indicators grouped into 30 issue categories. The top five countries are Estonia, Luxembourg, Germany, Finland and the United Kingdom, while the last ones are India, Myanmar, Laos, Pakistan and Vietnam.12 Sorting is alphabetical by country code, according to ISO 3166-1 alpha-3.

CountryRegionValueTrendRank 2024
 AfghanistanSouth Asia 31.0 12.8144
 AngolaSub-Saharan Africa 40.1 8.2106
 AlbaniaEurope & Central Asia 52.2 6.147
 United Arab EmiratesMiddle East & North Africa 51.6 9.148
 ArgentinaLatin America & Caribbean 47.0 1.170
 ArmeniaEurope & Central Asia 44.9 2.080
 Antigua and BarbudaLatin America & Caribbean 55.6 1.237
 AustraliaEast Asia & Pacific 63.1 4.222
 AustriaEurope & Central Asia 68.9 0.18
 AzerbaijanEurope & Central Asia 40.5 −0.3103
 BurundiSub-Saharan Africa 33.5 −1.3138
 BelgiumEurope & Central Asia 66.8 4.914
 BeninSub-Saharan Africa 37.8 −0.3119
 Burkina FasoSub-Saharan Africa 42.2 0.195
 BangladeshSouth Asia 28.1 2.3148
 BulgariaEurope & Central Asia 56.2 −1.235
 BahrainMiddle East & North Africa 35.3 −1.4131
 BahamasLatin America & Caribbean 55.9 1.636
 Bosnia and HerzegovinaEurope & Central Asia 46.0 3.375
 BelarusEurope & Central Asia 58.2 8.731
 BelizeLatin America & Caribbean 47.4 0.967
 BoliviaLatin America & Caribbean 45.3 3.478
 BrazilLatin America & Caribbean 53.0 6.744
 BarbadosLatin America & Caribbean 53.1 2.643
 BruneiEast Asia & Pacific 48.3 −3.162
 BhutanSouth Asia 43.3 6.889
 BotswanaSub-Saharan Africa 49.2 −1.859
 Central African RepublicSub-Saharan Africa 39.0 −5.1111
 CanadaNorth America 61.1 3.527
 SwitzerlandEurope & Central Asia 67.8 2.39
 ChileLatin America & Caribbean 49.6 3.057
 ChinaEast Asia & Pacific 35.4 5.6130
 Ivory CoastSub-Saharan Africa 42.9 7.890
 CameroonSub-Saharan Africa 38.6 2.2114
 Democratic Republic of the CongoSub-Saharan Africa 39.5 6.0109
 Republic of the CongoSub-Saharan Africa 41.6 0.999
 ColombiaLatin America & Caribbean 49.7 4.456
 ComorosSub-Saharan Africa 38.2 −5.9115
 Cape VerdeSub-Saharan Africa 38.0 −1.8117
 Costa RicaLatin America & Caribbean 55.5 0.238
 CubaLatin America & Caribbean 52.5 2.546
 CyprusEurope & Central Asia 53.9 −0.241
 Czech RepublicEurope & Central Asia 65.5 0.416
 GermanyEurope & Central Asia 74.5 4.33
 DjiboutiMiddle East & North Africa 32.3 0.2141
 DominicaLatin America & Caribbean 49.3 −0.258
 DenmarkEurope & Central Asia 67.7 −0.310
 Dominican RepublicLatin America & Caribbean 47.7 −1.166
 AlgeriaMiddle East & North Africa 41.7 3.298
 EcuadorLatin America & Caribbean 51.3 7.049
 EgyptMiddle East & North Africa 43.7 3.587
 EritreaSub-Saharan Africa 29.0 −0.3147
 SpainEurope & Central Asia 64.0 2.221
 EstoniaEurope & Central Asia 75.7 14.91
 EthiopiaSub-Saharan Africa 36.3 3.8125
 FinlandEurope & Central Asia 73.8 3.14
 FijiEast Asia & Pacific 46.0 −2.475
 FranceEurope & Central Asia 67.0 1.612
 Federated States of MicronesiaEast Asia & Pacific 40.8 0.3101
 GabonSub-Saharan Africa 53.3 7.342
 United KingdomEurope & Central Asia 72.6 1.35
 GeorgiaEurope & Central Asia 47.3 6.268
 GhanaSub-Saharan Africa 36.9 1.8122
 GuineaSub-Saharan Africa 36.5 −2.9123
 GambiaSub-Saharan Africa 37.6 0.6120
 Guinea-BissauSub-Saharan Africa 42.0 −0.596
 Equatorial GuineaSub-Saharan Africa 41.7 −3.398
 GreeceEurope & Central Asia 67.3 8.911
 GrenadaLatin America & Caribbean 45.8 0.476
 GuatemalaLatin America & Caribbean 32.5 −2.8140
 GuyanaLatin America & Caribbean 49.0 2.360
 HondurasLatin America & Caribbean 40.2 2.9105
 CroatiaEurope & Central Asia 62.3 4.924
 HaitiLatin America & Caribbean 36.4 7.7124
 HungaryEurope & Central Asia 59.8 −1.330
 IndonesiaEast Asia & Pacific 33.6 5.8137
 IndiaSouth Asia 27.6 4.2149
 IrelandEurope & Central Asia 65.8 2.815
 IranMiddle East & North Africa 41.8 0.097
 IraqMiddle East & North Africa 30.3 6.4145
 IcelandEurope & Central Asia 64.3 2.518
 IsraelMiddle East & North Africa 48.0 0.663
 ItalyEurope & Central Asia 60.3 4.828
 JamaicaLatin America & Caribbean 48.5 1.061
 JordanMiddle East & North Africa 47.3 10.168
 JapanEast Asia & Pacific 61.4 4.226
 KazakhstanEurope & Central Asia 47.8 4.065
 KenyaSub-Saharan Africa 36.9 −0.2122
 KyrgyzstanEurope & Central Asia 42.8 13.091
 CambodiaEast Asia & Pacific 31.2 0.0143
 KiribatiEast Asia & Pacific 44.3 −1.182
 South KoreaEast Asia & Pacific 50.6 4.951
 KuwaitMiddle East & North Africa 44.4 −1.881
 LaosEast Asia & Pacific 26.3 2.0151
 LebanonMiddle East & North Africa 39.9 7.9108
 LiberiaSub-Saharan Africa 34.3 1.3135
 Saint LuciaLatin America & Caribbean 51.1 2.150
 Sri LankaSouth Asia 38.8 1.8112
 LesothoSub-Saharan Africa 36.9 0.1122
 LithuaniaEurope & Central Asia 64.1 4.620
 LuxembourgEurope & Central Asia 75.1 3.42
 LatviaEurope & Central Asia 60.2 1.229
 MoroccoMiddle East & North Africa 39.5 2.6109
 MoldovaEurope & Central Asia 46.1 2.874
 MadagascarSub-Saharan Africa 30.1 0.8146
 MaldivesSouth Asia 38.1 2.8116
 MexicoLatin America & Caribbean 44.2 2.283
 Marshall IslandsEast Asia & Pacific 42.5 0.894
 North MacedoniaEurope & Central Asia 50.3 1.252
 MaliSub-Saharan Africa 34.5 −3.3134
 MaltaMiddle East & North Africa 66.9 4.713
 MyanmarEast Asia & Pacific 27.1 −1.4150
 MontenegroEurope & Central Asia 47.7 −0.566
 MongoliaEast Asia & Pacific 37.2 5.4121
 MozambiqueSub-Saharan Africa 39.0 5.2111
 MauritaniaSub-Saharan Africa 34.6 −3.5133
 MauritiusSub-Saharan Africa 47.3 2.968
 MalawiSub-Saharan Africa 35.1 −6.7132
 MalaysiaEast Asia & Pacific 41.0 7.3100
 NamibiaSub-Saharan Africa 44.0 −0.185
 NigerSub-Saharan Africa 40.0 7.3107
 NigeriaSub-Saharan Africa 37.9 4.7118
 NicaraguaLatin America & Caribbean 47.4 1.267
 NetherlandsEurope & Central Asia 66.9 4.413
 NorwayEurope & Central Asia 69.9 3.37
 NepalSouth Asia 33.1 0.7139
 New ZealandEast Asia & Pacific 57.3 1.132
 OmanMiddle East & North Africa 51.3 12.949
 PakistanSouth Asia 25.5 −4.0152
 PanamaLatin America & Caribbean 52.9 5.245
 PeruLatin America & Caribbean 46.5 3.973
 PhilippinesEast Asia & Pacific 32.1 0.4142
 Papua New GuineaEast Asia & Pacific 36.9 −3.6122
 PolandEurope & Central Asia 64.2 1.819
 PortugalEurope & Central Asia 61.9 4.125
 ParaguayLatin America & Caribbean 39.5 0.7109
 QatarMiddle East & North Africa 46.8 5.671
 RomaniaEurope & Central Asia 57.3 −3.132
 RussiaEurope & Central Asia 46.7 −0.172
 RwandaSub-Saharan Africa 33.9 −0.3136
 Saudi ArabiaMiddle East & North Africa 42.5 9.594
 SudanSub-Saharan Africa 39.1 3.9110
 SenegalSub-Saharan Africa 43.8 4.886
 SingaporeEast Asia & Pacific 53.0 6.544
 Solomon IslandsEast Asia & Pacific 42.2 1.695
 Sierra LeoneSub-Saharan Africa 39.9 5.3108
 El SalvadorLatin America & Caribbean 41.6 −4.499
 SerbiaEurope & Central Asia 49.8 −5.655
 São Tomé and PríncipeSub-Saharan Africa 36.2 1.8126
 SurinameLatin America & Caribbean 56.9 8.634
 SlovakiaEurope & Central Asia 65.1 −1.617
 SloveniaEurope & Central Asia 62.4 0.023
 SwedenEurope & Central Asia 70.3 0.26
 EswatiniSub-Saharan Africa 38.7 −2.4113
 SeychellesSub-Saharan Africa 47.9 −3.964
 ChadSub-Saharan Africa 35.9 2.0127
 TogoSub-Saharan Africa 35.7 −1.1129
 ThailandEast Asia & Pacific 45.7 4.577
 TajikistanEurope & Central Asia 32.3 −4.2141
 TurkmenistanEurope & Central Asia 40.6 4.9102
 Timor-LesteEast Asia & Pacific 49.9 9.654
 TongaEast Asia & Pacific 40.4 −7.3104
 Trinidad and TobagoLatin America & Caribbean 52.5 1.046
 TunisiaMiddle East & North Africa 45.3 0.578
 TaiwanEast Asia & Pacific 50.1 −0.153
 TanzaniaSub-Saharan Africa 43.6 5.688
 UgandaSub-Saharan Africa 35.8 4.2128
 UkraineEurope & Central Asia 54.6 7.339
 UruguayLatin America & Caribbean 44.1 0.584
 United StatesNorth America 57.2 0.233
 UzbekistanEurope & Central Asia 42.6 −1.393
 Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesLatin America & Caribbean 54.2 0.840
 VenezuelaLatin America & Caribbean 53.3 1.142
 VietnamEast Asia & Pacific 24.6 −3.7153
 VanuatuEast Asia & Pacific 45.0 9.379
 SamoaEast Asia & Pacific 47.1 6.069
 South AfricaSub-Saharan Africa 42.7 4.492
 ZambiaSub-Saharan Africa 46.7 3.972
 ZimbabweSub-Saharan Africa 51.6 9.548

EPI scores vs. GDP per capita, 2024

EPI scores are positively correlated with a country's wealth, although after a point, increasing wealth yields diminishing. returns. At every level of economic development, though, some countries outperform their peers while others lag. Some of the poorest countries in the world outperform some of the richest. In this regard, factors other than wealth, such as investments in human development, rule of law, and regulatory quality, are stronger predictors of environmental performance.13

Wealth allows countries to make investments in the infrastructure required to provide clean drinking water, safely manage waste, and rapidly expand renewable energy. But wealth also leads to higher material consumption and its associated environmental impacts, such as higher rates of waste generation, GHG emissions, and ecosystem degradation. Many countries with high scores in some Ecosystem Vitality metrics — such as those measuring the pollution from pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, the integrity of forest landscapes, and the use of destructive fishing methods — do so because their economies are stagnant and underdeveloped.14

Developing countries must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of nations that followed a dirty and unsustainable path to industrialization. On the other hand, rich countries need to decouple their consumption from environmental degradation and use their wealth to help developing countries leapfrog to a path of truly sustainable development, preserving their biodiversity and other global commons for the benefit of all humankind.151617

See also

References

  1. "2024 Environmental Performance Index". epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy & Center for International Earth Science Information Network Earth Institute, Columbia University. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) https://epi.yale.edu/

  2. "2024 Environmental Performance Index". epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy & Center for International Earth Science Information Network Earth Institute, Columbia University. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) https://epi.yale.edu/

  3. Kanmani, Aiyshwariya; Obringer, Renee; Rachunok, Benjamin; Nateghi, Roshanak (2020-01-11). "Assessing Global Environmental Sustainability Via an Unsupervised Clustering Framework". Sustainability. 12 (2): 563. doi:10.3390/su12020563. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/fund/4

  4. Kanmani, Aiyshwariya; Obringer, Renee; Rachunok, Benjamin; Nateghi, Roshanak (2020-01-11). "Assessing Global Environmental Sustainability Via an Unsupervised Clustering Framework". Sustainability. 12 (2): 563. doi:10.3390/su12020563. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/fund/4

  5. Banerjee, Ankush. "What Happened to Green India? Ranked Lowest as per Environmental Performance Index, India Disputes Methodology". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/sci-simplified-what-happened-to-green-india-ranked-lowest-as-per-environmental-performance-index-india-disputes-methodology/articleshow/92564174.cms

  6. "India's lagging sustainability performance". Hindustan Times. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/indias-lagging-sustainability-performance-101656338200590.html

  7. Roy, Esha (2022-06-11). "Explained: What is the environment index, and why has India questioned it?". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/environment-index-and-india-7963597/

  8. "Environmental performance index EPI. Pros & Cons". unece.org. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://unece.org/environmental-performance-index-epi

  9. "2024 Weights" (CSV). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/epi2024weights.csv

  10. Block, S.; Emerson, J.W.; Esty, D.C.; de Sherbinin, A.; Wendling, Z.A.; et al. (2024-10-03). "2024 Environmental Performance Index. Technical Appendix" (PDF). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/2024-epi-technical-appendix.pdf

  11. "2024 Weights" (CSV). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24. https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/epi2024weights.csv

  12. Block, S.; Emerson, J.W.; Esty, D.C.; de Sherbinin, A.; Wendling, Z.A.; et al. (2024-10-03). "2024 Environmental Performance Index" (PDF). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/2024epireport.pdf

  13. "2024 Environmental Performance Index. Policymakers' Summary". epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy & Center for International Earth Science Information Network Earth Institute, Columbia University. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) https://epi.yale.edu/

  14. Block, S.; Emerson, J.W.; Esty, D.C.; de Sherbinin, A.; Wendling, Z.A.; et al. (2024-10-03). "2024 Environmental Performance Index" (PDF). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/2024epireport.pdf

  15. Block, S.; Emerson, J.W.; Esty, D.C.; de Sherbinin, A.; Wendling, Z.A.; et al. (2024-10-03). "2024 Environmental Performance Index. Technical Appendix" (PDF). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/2024-epi-technical-appendix.pdf

  16. Block, S.; Emerson, J.W.; Esty, D.C.; de Sherbinin, A.; Wendling, Z.A.; et al. (2024-10-03). "2024 Environmental Performance Index" (PDF). epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) https://epi.yale.edu/downloads/2024epireport.pdf

  17. "2024 Environmental Performance Index. Policymakers' Summary". epi.yale.edu. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy & Center for International Earth Science Information Network Earth Institute, Columbia University. 2024-10-03. Retrieved 2024-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) https://epi.yale.edu/