India's environmental performance ranks fifth-lowest in the latest Environmental Performance Index, signalling an urgent need for comprehensive conservation efforts
India's recurring low rank in the Environment Performance Index (EPI) is a matter of significant concern. In the latest ranking, India placed fifth-lowest, ahead only of Myanmar, Pakistan, Laos, and Vietnam, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of the index and India’s environmental conservation efforts.
India is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs). It ranked 170 out of 180 in Ecosystem Vitality. For Climate Change, it ranked 133, and for Environmental Health, it ranked 177 out of 180.
The Environment Performance Index (EPI), released biennially by the Yale Center For Environmental Law and Policy and the Columbia Center For International Earth Science Information Network since 2002, is a comprehensive evaluation. It assesses a country on 58 factors, including but not limited to waste management, the levels of various pollutants, and emission growth rates, providing a thorough understanding of a country's environmental performance.
These 58 indicators are divided into three categories – Ecosystem Vitality, Environmental Health and Climate Change. While India’s overall ranking is among the lowest, its ranking in these three specific categories isn’t much better either.
One of the reasons why India has ranked so low is that it is heavily dependent on coal. This dependence is the major culprit for the high emissions of GHG and air pollution in the country.
It is important to note, however, that EPI has been the recipient of criticism from both private firms and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The most common criticisms were that it gives arbitrary weightage to indicators and has too much subjectivity.