Context

• Recently India has secured 168 rank in the 12th edition of the biennial Environment Performance Index (EPI Index 2020).
• India’s rank was 177 (with a score of 30.57 out of 100) in 2018.
• The report indicated that black carbon, carbon dioxide emissions and green house emissions per capita increased in 10 years. 

About the Index

• The Index was released by the Yale University.

The performance on climate change was assessed based on following indicators —

1.adjusted emission growth rates;

2.composed of growth rates of four greenhouse gases and one pollutant;

3.growth rate in carbon dioxide emissions from land cover;

4.greenhouse gas intensity growth rate; and

5.greenhouse gas emissions per capita.

Poor performance South Asian region

• The 11 countries lagging behind India were — Burundi, Haiti, Chad, Soloman Islands, Madagascar, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoir, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Liberia.
• All South Asian countries, except Afghanistan, were ahead of India in the ranking.  

India’s Performance

• India scored below the regional average score on all five key parameters on environmental health, including air quality, sanitation and drinking water, heavy metals and waste management.  
• Among South Asian countries, India was at second position (rank 106) after Pakistan on ‘climate change’. Pakistan’s score (50.6) was the highest under the category.
• A ten-year comparison progress report in the index showed that India slipped on climate-related parameters.

Way Ahead

• India needs to re-double national sustainability efforts on all fronts, according to the index.
• The country 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.
• Good governance represents the most significant determinant of top-tier results.
• Real public participation in the policy process, a carefully structured regulatory strategy, open debate over goals and programs, the presence of a lively media and vibrant non-profits, and a commitment to the rule of law all correlate with out-performance over time.