ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDEX

1.Background

• India has finished at the bottom of the Environment Performance Index-2022 released by the World Bank. 
• This means India is among those countries in the world that have the worst environmental health. 
• Out of 180 countries that have been ranked, India is in the bottom five with a score of 18.9. 
• Even Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Vietnam have ranked better than India.
• The country has also scored poorly on various measures such as control of corruption, rule of law, and government effectiveness.
• The deterioration is huge as in the EPI-2020, India was ranked 168th out of 180 countries.
• The score was 27.6. Denmark was ranked first in the sustainability and environmental health categories this time.

2.What is Environmental Protection Index all about

• The EPI was first established in 2002 as an index that measures the environmental sustainability of various countries. 
• It was established as a global parameter in association with the World Economic Forum and Columbia University.
• “EPI ranks 180 countries on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. These indicators provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy targets”, the EPI report says.

• The report suggests that the economic prosperity of a country makes investing in policies on the environment possible leading to desirable income. 
• The report further states that building necessary infrastructure can at large provide other environmental benefits like clean drinking water and sanitation, reduce ambient air pollution, and control hazardous waste. “Responding to public health crises yields large returns for human well-being,” the report states.
• The report also states that countries that have been able to focus on various sustainability measures have performed better than their lagging counterparts.”
• The report also states that countries that have been able to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions have made the greatest gains in curbing climate change. It also noted that these efforts have positive effects on human health and ecosystems.
• The low scores of India and other countries in the EPI suggest that they need to step up their efforts on various sustainability measures such as climate change and air and water quality. 
• Some of the other countries that have been identified as laggards include Afghanistan and Nepal. Their low scores can be attributed to weak governance, it added.
• The index published recently by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University, used 40 performance indicators across 11 categories to judge countries on climate change performance, environmental health and ecosystem vitality.

4. Prominence of the report

• The findings of the EPI are important since the Climate Change Act (2021) signed on November 18, 2021 is yet to be implemented in the country. 
• It sought to provide a framework for achieving low greenhouse gas emissions and also mainstream climate change actions into national plans and programmes.

5. All about Environmental Protection Index (EPI)

• The 2022 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides a data-driven summary of the state of sustainability around the world. 
• Using 40 performance indicators across 11 issue categories, the EPI ranks 180 countries on climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. 
• These indicators provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy targets. 
• The EPI offers a scorecard that highlights leaders and laggards in environmental performance and provides practical guidance for countries that aspire to move toward a sustainable future.

6. Indicators of Environmental Protection Index

• EPI indicators provide a way to spot problems, set targets, track trends, understand outcomes, and identify best policy practices. 
• Good data and fact-based analysis can also help government officials refine their policy agendas, facilitate communications with key stakeholders, and maximize the return on environmental investments. 
• The EPI offers a powerful policy tool in support of efforts to meet the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to move society toward a sustainable future.
• Overall EPI rankings indicate which countries are best addressing the environmental challenges that every nation faces. 
• Going beyond the aggregate scores and drilling down into the data to analyze performance by issue category, policy objective, peer group, and country offers even greater value for policymakers. 
• This granular view and comparative perspective can assist in understanding the determinants of environmental progress and in refining policy choices.

7. EPI Framework 2022

The framework organizes 40 indicators into 11 issue categories and three policy objectives, with weights shown at each level as a percentage of the total score.