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 recently released 2022 EPI highlights the leaders and laggards in the fight against climate change. Denmark and the UK, taking the #1 and #2 spot in the ranking, have emerged as the only leaders on track for net-zero emissions by 2050. The U.S. has tumbled in the ranking, largely due to the climate inaction of the Trump Administration. For the first time, India has secured the last spot in environmental performance.
Read New York Times coverage: Trump Policies Sent U.S. Tumbling in a Climate Ranking.
Read Washington Post coverage: Denmark, U.K. on track for net-zero emissions by 2050 as U.S. lags
Read Hindustan Times coverage: India’s lagging sustainability performance
The Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy (YCELP) and Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) recently released their 2022 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), ranking 180 countries across a variety of indicators that represent a cross-section of environmental priorities. This biennial report is intended to facilitate data-driven policymaking by providing an in-depth snapshot of a country’s sustainability and allowing for its progress in the field to be charted.
Lucy Kessler (FES ‘18) sits down with Zach Wendling, the lead investigator for the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) for a discussion about the relevance of the biannual global report, now in its 20th year. They explore what has changed over time with regards to international reporting on environmental issues, as well as what this year’s report reveals about the state of environmental regulation and progress.
The 2014 Environmental Index (EPI) ranks countries on high-priority environmental concerns, including air quality, water management, and climate change. In this podcast, Angel Hsu, lead author of the 2014 EPI, discusses the rankings and global performance trends. Overall, the index reveals that the world is doing well on improving drinking water and sanitation. Progress in these categories tracks the concerted pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, which have clear targets, strategies, and metrics for assessment on water and sanitation.
Biodiversity underpins all ecosystem services that sustain our environment and power our economies. Intact and sufficient habitat is critical to supporting ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity. However, natural habitats have witnessed considerable declines in biodiversity in recent decades, and today many species are at risk of extinction.
Air pollution is the most pressing environmental threat to global public health according to the 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities in conjunction with the World Economic Forum issue the report every two years.
Over the past 20 years, there has been a steady growth in the collection and use of data on environmental performance.
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI), was released January 22nd in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. YCELP Research Assistant, Lucy Kessler, sat down with the Zach Wendling, the EPI Principal Investigator, to discuss the 20th anniversary of the Index and his key takeaways from the report.
