Nepal has
improved by 4.96 per cent in last one decade and ranks at 139 with a overall
score of 37 – out of 100 – in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2014.
Nepal also betters
than India (155), Pakistan (148) and Bangladesh (169), whereas the northern neighbour
China ranks 118.
The index – that
is constructed through the calculation and aggregation of 20 indicators
reflecting national-level environmental data – includes 178 countries for the year
2014.
With 100
score, Nepal, however, ranks first in agriculture subsidy – a sub-category under
agriculture – revealed the report published today globally.
The index that
places countries on how well they perform on high-priority environmental issues
– includes nine key issues including health impacts, air quality, water and sanitation,
water resources, agriculture, forests, fisheries, biodiversity and habitat, and
climate and energy – in two broad policy areas: protection of human health from
environmental harm and protection of ecosystems.
The overall
list is topped by Switzerland followed by Luxembourg, Australia, Singapore, and
Czech Republic, whereas Somalia, Mali, Haiti, Lesotho, and Afghanistan are the bottom
five performers that are grappling with civil unrest, significant economic
development pressures, and political turmoil.
"Emerging economies, including China, India, Brazil, Russia,
and South Africa, have had modest improvement over the past decade, but they
have also paid an environmental price for their rapid growth," the report
said.
The emerging economies represent 55 per cent of global growth from
the end of 2009 to 2012.
Urbanisation without sufficient investment in environmental
safeguards is a key reason for emerging economies' poor showing when it comes
to air quality, biodiversity and habitat protection.
The 178 nations in the index represent 99 per cent of the global
population, 98 per cent of the world's total land area, and 97 per cent of the
global GDP, the report said.
"The EPI reveals that
improved environmental results are possible when measurement and management
practices align," Yale University Professor Daniel Esty said, adding,
"when data and measurement are poor or not in concert with policy
priorities, natural and human systems suffer."
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