Environmental Performance Index

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. 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.

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.

2008 Variables

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".

Top 30 countries and score

1. 95.5
2. 93.1
3. 93.1
4. 91.4
5. 90.5
6. 89.4
7. 88.9
8. 88.8
9. 88.3
10. 87.8

11. 87.6
12. 86.6
13. 86.3
14. 86.3
15. 86.3
16. 86.2
17. 86.0
18. 85.8
19. 85.2
20. 84.6

21. 84.5
22. 84.4
23. 84.2
24. 84.2
25. 84.0
26. 84.0
27. 84.0
28. 83.9
29. 83.4
30. 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 score

1. 88.0
2. 87.8
3. 87.0
4. 86.0
5. 85.6
6. 85.2
7. 84.2
8. 84.0
9. 83.3
10. 83.3
11. 82.9
12. 82.5
13. 82.1
14. 81.9
15. 81.6
16. 81.4
17. 80.4
18. 80.2
19. 80.2
20. 80.1
21. 79.8
22. 79.4
23. 79.2
24. 79.1
25. 79.1
26. 78.9
27. 78.7
28. 78.5
29. 78.4
30. 77.7

See also

• Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI)
• Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI)

External links

• Yale University – EPI – A collaboration between Yale and Columbia Universities
• Yale University – YCELP – Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy

References