Environmental Performance Index

• 09 Jun 2020

Why in News

India secured 168^th rank in the 12^th edition of the Environment Performance Index (EPI) 2020.

• India’s rank was 177^th in 2018.

Environmental Performance Index

• EPI is a biennial index prepared by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.
• It 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.
• This index was first published in 2002 designed to supplement the environmental targets set forth in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Key Points

• EPI 2020:
  
  • EPI Index 2020 measured the environmental performance of 180 countries.
  • The index considered 32 indicators of environmental performance and included 10-year trends in environmental performance at the national and global levels.
  • Denmark topped the index with a score of 82.5.
• India’ Performance:
  
  • India scored 27.6 out of 100 in the 2020 EPI index and its performance was worse than all South Asian countries, except Afghanistan.
  • India scored below the regional (South-Asia) average score on all five key parameters on environmental health, including air quality, sanitation and drinking water, heavy metals and waste management.
    
    • These findings resonated with the concerns raised by the ‘State of India’s Environment 2020 in Figures’, published by the Centre for Science and Environment.
  • It has also scored below the regional average on parameters related to biodiversity and ecosystem services too.
  • India was at second position after Pakistan on ‘climate change’ among the South-Asia countries.
    
    • Pakistan’s score (50.6) was the highest under the climate change category.
  • A ten-year comparison progress report in the index showed that India slipped on climate-related parameters.
    
    • The report indicated that black carbon, carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse emissions per capita increased in ten years.

Environmental Conservation Programmes in India

• Climate Change: National Action Plan on Climate Change
• Desertification: National Action Programme to Combat Desertification
• Pollution Control: National Clean Air Program
• Environmental Impact Assessment: Environment Management Plan
• Forest Protection: National Afforestation Programme
• Animal Conservation: Project Elephant, Project Tiger

Way Forward

• India needs to re-double national sustainability efforts on all fronts.
• It needs to focus on a wide spectrum of sustainability issues, with a high-priority to critical issues such as air and water quality, biodiversity and climate change.

Source:DTE