Environment Performance Index 2006

Posted in Geography 2

By identifying specific targets for environmental performance and measuring how close each country comes to these established goals, the Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) provides benchmarks for current national pollution control and natural resource management results. The issue-by-issue and aggregate rankings facilitate cross-country comparisons both globally and within relevant peer groups. The EPI thus provides a powerful tool for improving policymaking and shifting environmental decisionmaking onto firmer analytic foundations.

The EPI centers on two broad environmental protection objectives: 1) reducing environmental stresses on human health and 2) protecting ecosystem vitality. Derived from a careful review of the environmental literature, these twin goals mirror the priorities expressed by policymakers, most notably the environmental dimension of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. Environmental health and ecosystem vitality are gauged using sixteen indicators tracked in six established policy categories: Environmental Health, Air Quality, Water Resources, Biodiversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Sustainable Energy.

The top list of EPI countries in order of highest EPI index first. Therefore New Zealand has the highest Environmental Performance Index of all countries examined.

  1. New Zealand
  2. Sweden
  3. Finland
  4. Czech Rep.
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Austria
  7. Denmark
  8. Canada
  9. Ireland
  10. Malaysia
  11. Portugal
  12. France
  13. Iceland
  14. Japan
  15. Costa Rica
  16. Switzerland
  17. Colombia
  18. Greece
  19. Norway
  20. Australia
  21. Italy
  22. Germany
  23. Spain
  24. Slovakia
  25. Taiwan
  26. Chile
  27. Netherlands
  28. United States
  29. Cyprus
  30. Argentina
  31. Russia
  32. Slovenia
  33. Hungary
  34. Brazil
  35. Trinidad & Tobago
  36. Lebanon
  37. Panama
  38. Poland
  39. Belgium
  40. Ecuador
  41. Cuba
  42. South Korea
  43. Jamaica
  44. Venezuela
  45. Israel
  46. Gabon
  47. United Arab Em.
  48. Suriname
  49. Turkey
  50. Bulgaria
  51. Ukraine
  52. Honduras
  53. Iran
  54. Dominican Rep.
  55. Philippines
  56. Nicaragua
  57. Albania
  58. Guatemala
  59. Saudi Arabia
  60. Oman
  61. Thailand
  62. Paraguay
  63. Algeria
  64. Jordan
  65. Peru
  66. Mexico
  67. Sri Lanka
  68. Morocco
  69. Armenia
  70. Kazakhstan
  71. Bolivia
  72. Ghana
  73. El Salvador
  74. Zimbabwe
  75. Moldova
  76. South Africa
  77. Georgia
  78. Uganda
  79. Indonesia
  80. Kyrgyzstan
  81. Nepal
  82. Tunisia
  83. Tanzania
  84. Benin
  85. Egypt
  86. C?te d'Ivoire
  87. Central Afr. Rep.
  88. Myanmar
  89. Rwanda
  90. Romania
  91. Malawi
  92. Namibia
  93. Kenya
  94. China
  95. Azerbaijan
  96. Papua New Guinea
  97. Syria
  98. Zambia
  99. Viet Nam
  100. Cameroon
  101. Swaziland
  102. Laos
  103. Togo
  104. Gambia
  105. Turkmenistan
  106. Uzbekistan
  107. Senegal
  108. Burundi
  109. Liberia
  110. Cambodia
  111. Sierra Leone
  112. Congo
  113. Guinea
  114. Haiti
  115. Mongolia
  116. Madagascar
  117. Tajikistan
  118. India
  119. Dem. Rep. Congo
  120. Guinea-Bissau
  121. Mozambique
  122. Yemen
  123. Nigeria
  124. Sudan
  125. Bangladesh
  126. Burkina Faso
  127. Pakistan
  128. Angola
  129. Ethiopia
  130. Mali
  131. Mauritania
  132. Chad
  133. Niger

The full EPI data can be found at this website: http://www.yale.edu/epi/