Environmental Performance Index 

World map indicating Environmental Performance Index (2006)

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a method of quantifying and numerically benchmarking the environmental performance of a country's policies. This index was developed from the Pilot Environmental Performance Index, first published in 2002, and designed to supplement the environmental targets set forth in the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.1

The EPI was preceded by the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI), published between 1999 and 2005. Both indexes were developed by Yale University (Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy) and Columbia University (Center for International Earth Science Information Network) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The ESI was developed to evaluate environmental sustainability relative to the paths of other countries. Due to a shift in focus by the teams developing the ESI, the EPI uses outcome-oriented indicators, then working as a benchmark index that can be more easily used by policy makers, environmental scientists, advocates and the general public.2

As of January, 2008 two EPI reports have been released - the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index and the 2008 Environmental Performance Index. In the 2008 scorecard, the top three countries were Switzerland, Norway and Sweden.


Contents

2008 Variables

EPI 2008: Objectives, policy categories and sub-categories, and indicators
OBJECTIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
POLICY CATEGORIES
Environmental Burden of Disease
Water (effects on humans)
Air Pollution (effects on humans)
INDICATORS 1. Environmental Burden of Disease 2. Adequate Sanitation 4. Indoor Air Pollution
3. Drinking Water 5. Urban Particulates
6. Local Ozone
OBJECTIVE
ECOSYSTEM VITALITY
POLICY CATEGORIES
Air Pollution (effects on ecosystems)
Water
Biodiversity and Habitat
INDICATORS 7. Regional Ozone 9. Water Quality Index 11. Conservation Risk Index
8. Sulfur Dioxide Emissions 10. Water Stress 12. Effective Conservation
13. Critical Habitat Protection
14. Marine Protected Areas
POLICY CATEGORIES
Productive Natural Resources
Productive Natural Resources
Productive Natural Resources
POLICY SUB-CATEGORY
Forestry
Fisheries
Agriculture
INDICATORS 15. Growing Stock 16. Marine Trophic Index 18. Irrigation Stress
17. Trawling Intensity 19. Agricultural Subsidies
20. Intensive Cropland
21. Burnt Land Area
22. Pesticide Regulation
POLICY CATEGORIES
Climate Change
INDICATORS 23. Emissions per capita
24. Emissions per electricity generated
25. Industrial carbon intensity


Overall EPI score

2008

On 23 January 2008 Yale University and Columbia University released the 2008 Environmental Performance Index at the World Economic Forum. The environmental experts at both universities concluded that "analysis of the drivers underlying the 2008 rankings suggests that wealth is a major determinant of environmental success".3

Top 30 countries and score4

  1.  Switzerland 95.5
  2.  Norway 93.1
  3.  Sweden 93.1
  4.  Finland 91.4
  5.  Costa Rica 90.5
  6.  Austria 89.4
  7.  New Zealand 88.9
  8.  Latvia 88.8
  9.  Colombia 88.3
  10.  France 87.8
  1.  Iceland 87.6
  2.  Canada 86.6
  3.  Germany 86.3
  4.  United Kingdom 86.3
  5.  Slovenia 86.3
  6.  Lithuania 86.2
  7.  Slovakia 86.0
  8.  Portugal 85.8
  9.  Estonia 85.2
  10.  Croatia 84.6
  1.  Japan 84.5
  2.  Ecuador 84.4
  3.  Hungary 84.2
  4.  Italy 84.2
  5.  Albania 84.0
  6.  Denmark 84.0
  7.  Malaysia 84.0
  8.  Russia 83.9
  9.  Chile 83.4
  10.  Spain 83.1

2006

On 26 January 2006 Yale (YCELP) and Columbia University (CIESIN) released the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index at the World Economic Forum. It was done in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

Top 30 countries and score5

  1.  New Zealand 88.0
  2.  Sweden 87.8
  3.  Finland 87.0
  4.  Czech Republic 86.0
  5.  United Kingdom 85.6
  6.  Austria 85.2
  7.  Denmark 84.2
  8.  Canada 84.0
  9.  Malaysia 83.3
  10.  Ireland 83.3
  1.  Portugal 82.9
  2.  France 82.5
  3.  Iceland 82.1
  4.  Japan 81.9
  5.  Costa Rica 81.6
  6.  Switzerland 81.4
  7.  Colombia 80.4
  8.  Norway 80.2
  9.  Greece 80.2
  10.  Australia 80.1
  1.  Italy 79.8
  2.  Germany 79.4
  3.  Spain 79.2
  4.  Taiwan 79.1
  5.  Slovakia 79.1
  6.  Chile 78.9
  7.  Netherlands 78.7
  8.  United States 78.5
  9.  Cyprus 78.4
  10.  Argentina 77.7

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, and Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "Environmental Performance Index". Retrieved on 2008-03-16.
  2. ^ Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "2008 Environmental Performance Index Report". Retrieved on 2008-03-18. See Executive Summary, pp. 32-35 for a detailed comparison between the ESI 2005, the EPI 2006 and the EPI 2008.
  3. ^ Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "Switzerland Tops 2008 Environmental Scorecard at World Economic Forum". Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  4. ^ Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "Environmental Performance Index 2008". Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
  5. ^ Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index". Retrieved on 2007-06-17.