According to the 2024 Environment Performance Index (EPI), India ranks 176th out of 180 countries with an EPI score of 27.6, surpassing only Pakistan, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. This marks a slight improvement from its previous ranking of 180th in the EPI 2022 and 168th in the EPI 2020.
Top Performers and India’s Ranking:
- Top Country: Estonia leads the 2024 EPI with a score of 75.3, followed by Luxembourg and Germany in the 2nd and 3rd spots, respectively.
- India’s Rank: 176th with a score of 27.6.
About the EPI:
- Biennial Index: The EPI is a biennial index released by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University, with support from The McCall MacBain Foundation. It was first published in 2002.
- Assessment Criteria: The EPI assesses countries based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement 2015, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 2022.
- Indicators and Categories: The 2024 EPI compares and analyzes environmental performance across 180 countries using 58 indicators in three main categories: Ecosystem Vitality, Environmental Health, and Climate Change.
New Categories in 2024 EPI:
- Biodiversity and Habitat: Assesses protection efforts and reveals encroachments in many countries.
- Projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Tracks progress towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Regional Performance:
- Highest Ranking Regions: The Global West and Eastern Europe rank highest.
- Lowest Ranking Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia rank lowest among the eight assessed regions.
Top 5 Countries in 2024 EPI:
| Rank | Country | EPI Score | 10-Year Change |
| 1 | Estonia | 75.3 | 17.3 |
| 2 | Luxembourg | 75.0 | 4.1 |
| 3 | Germany | 74.6 | 4.4 |
| 4 | Finland | 73.7 | 8.3 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 72.7 | 2.1 |
Bottom 5 Countries in 2024 EPI:
| Rank | Country | EPI Score | 10-Year Change |
| 176 | India | 27.6 | 4.6 |
| 177 | Myanmar | 26.9 | -2.7 |
| 178 | Laos | 26.1 | 1.0 |
| 179 | Pakistan | 25.5 | -3.9 |
| 180 | Vietnam | 24.5 | -4.6 |
India’s Category-wise Performance:
| Category | Rank | EPI Score | 10-Year Change |
| Ecosystem Vitality | 170 | 30.5 | 2.3 |
| Environmental Health | 177 | 13.3 | 2.1 |
| Climate Change | 133 | 35.0 | 10.2 |
Key Points on India’s Performance:
- Areas of Poor Performance:
- Air Quality: Ranked 177th, due to heavy reliance on coal and high pollution levels.
- Projected Emissions: Ranked 172nd.
- Biodiversity & Habitat: Ranked 178th.
- Climate Change Efforts:
- India ranks 133rd, showing improvement driven by investments in renewable energy and a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.
- Better performance in solid waste management, forests, and agriculture.
- Financial Needs:
- An estimated additional USD 160 billion per year is required for climate change mitigation to meet India’s goals.
About the Universities:
- Yale University:
- President: Peter Salovey
- Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Columbia University:
- President: Minouche Shafik
- Location: New York, USA
Conclusion:
India’s ranking in the 2024 Environment Performance Index highlights significant challenges in areas such as air quality, emissions, and biodiversity. While there have been improvements in climate change efforts, substantial investments and policy changes are required to enhance India’s environmental performance and meet its sustainability goals. The EPI serves as a critical benchmark for assessing and guiding environmental policies and actions globally.
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