Unreasonable terms

New environment index is not objective

The government seems justified in summarily rejecting the recently released Environment Performance Index (EPI) 2022, maintaining that it is based on unfounded assumptions and unscientific methods. The index has ranked India at the bottom among 180 countries. The authors of the index have claimed that the ranking is based on 40 performance indicators across 11 categories, which determine the progress towards improving environmental health, protecting ecosystem vitality, and mitigating climate change. India has, however, disputed the validity of many of these indicators, as also their extrapolation to arrive at flawed conclusions.

Significantly, many environment experts, too, concur with the government’s contentions.