India, Nepal and Bangladesh most polluted: EPI report

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Nepal, India, and Bangladesh rank as the worst performers out of 180 countries for environmental protection, according to a report from Yale and Columbia University.

The environment performance index (EPI) study ranks Nepal, India, and Bangladesh at 176, 177 and 179 respectively. The only countries that rank worse are Congo at 178 and Burundi at 180. China, after a slew of environmental action in the last few years, ranked 120.

Bikers traveling through dust and air pollution in Nepal’s Patan city. /VCG Photo

“As the world community pursues new sustainable development goals, policymakers need to know who is leading and who is lagging on energy and environmental challenges,” said Daniel C. Esty, director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University.

The data-driven biennial report, now in its twentieth year, ranks countries based on 24 performance indicators across 10 issue categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality.

In an interview, Esty noted that what is surprising is that India ranks fourth from the bottom, reflecting the failure of the government in sustainable development. The US ranking 27th also drew criticism.

“The US is bottom of the peer group of Europe and North America, and that is a shame. The country is not taking greenhouse gas emission seriously, and it shows,” Esty said before releasing the report at the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos on Thursday.

The 2016 EPI report ranked India 141, China 109, and Nepal at 149. In the last two years, these countries have only moved down the list. Researchers also expressed worry about rising air pollution in Nepal, the country closest to the Himalaya. “Rising air pollution will impact glaciers and Himalaya’s delicate natural landscape,” they said.

Air pollution continues to affect the large populations in India, China, and Pakistan. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia are experiencing significant deforestation over the past five years, reflecting broad policy failures, said the researchers.

Rivers in Bangladesh are facing worst pollution due to rampant dumping of industrial waste. /VCG

The report also highlighted the improvement in health outcomes related to drinking water and sanitation and protection of marine ecosystems. Researchers found that fisheries continue to deteriorate in most countries, with significant problems in El Salvador, Papua New Guinea, and Portugal.

Switzerland ranks as the best country on the EPI index followed by France, Denmark, Malta, and Sweden.

Esty pointed out at times countries are outraged at the findings for ranking them lower on the list. He gave the example of Singapore that criticized the poor ranking on EPI index a few years back, but the government took the report seriously and stepped up rainwater harvesting and water recycling.

“The data-driven report helps governments to make better decisions for policy making,” he added.