Nepal improves in EPI, tops in agriculture subsidy category

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."