The 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) tracks the performance of 178 countries across various environmental issues and finds mixed results. About half of the categories measured show no or negative progress, especially issues related to ecosystems like fisheries, forests, and habitat protection. However, there is more hopeful signs for issues directly tied to public health like access to water and reducing child mortality. The EPI aims to provide a global assessment of what environmental policies and governance are working and what needs improvement.

1. The 2014 EPI:
A Global Scorecard for the Environment
While the world faces enormous environmental challenges, the story
is a lot more nuanced than headlines might suggest. The
Environmental Performance Index tracks the performance of 178
countries on environmental issues ranging from air and water quality,
to fisheries and forests, to human health, to climate change, painting
a picture of disappointment side-by-side with hope.
http://epi.yale.edu

2. The EPI provides a stocktaking of what is working in international
environmental governance and what isn’t. Among the nine categories it
measures, about a half show no or negative progress. Environmental
issues directly tied to public health, like access to water and sanitation
and child mortality, tend to show the most hopeful signs.
Credit: JoãoVirissimo / Hemera / Thinkstock

3. The 2014 EPI
When it comes to issues most directly tied to ecosystems—like fisheries,
forests, and the protection of critical habitat, things do not look too
promising. Surprisingly, air quality, a core issue of environmental protection,
also lags.
Credit: NikGoossen/ iStock / Thinkstock

4. Fisheries all over the world are in trouble, mostly
because of poor management. 87%of all fisheries
are overexploited or worse. Many will never return.
Credit: Rob Bouwman / iStock / Thinkstock

5. Air Pollution
China and India often get a lot of attention for their bad air
quality, and rightly so. Cities in those countries have levels of
harmful particulate matter way beyond healthy levels. Air
quality in emerging nations is particularly bad, with industry as
the main cause.
In India alone, premature deaths from outdoor air pollution
increased from 100,000 to 600,000 between 2000 and 2010.
Credit: durtyburty / iStock /Thinkstock

6. The 2014 EPI
In the decade between 2000 and
2010, the world lost more than one
millionsquare kilometers of forest
cover, an area the size of Colombia.
Most of that loss occurred in the
tropics. This is the result of poor
management and policy, particularly
in regard to agriculture, the main
driver of deforestation.
Credit: Timothy Epp / iStock / Thinkstock

7. Forests
Credit: Mika Makelainen / iStock / Thinkstock
Brazil is often cited as a main culprit of
deforestation in the Amazon. However
new satellite data confirms that Brazil
actually gained forest coverin the
decade from 2000-2010. While experts
cast some doubt on this data’s ability to
differentiate between old growth forest,
sustainable
reforestation,
and
monoculture or plantation forests, this
seemed to be a good sign—until
Brazilian deforestation rates shot up in
2013 by almost 30%.

8. Critical Habitat Protection
Critical Habitat is under threat worldwide.
Only 33% of terrestrial ecoregions, 13%of
marine ecoregions, and 22% of expertdefined sites reach targets for protection. Of
all countries in the 2014 EPI, only
Perudemonstrated
improvement
in
protecting its critical habitat.
Credit: ImkeStahlmann / Wikicommons

9. Cities
Cities offer unique opportunities for
sustainable development, something
that’s increasingly important now that
a majority of the world’s population
lives in them.
Singapore, a highly dense, urbanized
nation, ranks in the top 5 of the 2014
EPI. Its high performance on
Wastewater Treatment, Access to
Drinking Water, and Sanitation speaks
to the potential of urban infrastructure
to
secure
key
elements
of
environmental health.
99.65
out of 100
Singapore’s score on
Wastewater Treatment
World Average: 24.87
Credit: Antikainen / iStock / Thinkstock

10. Access to Sanitation and
Drinking Water
In Afghanistan the percentage of households with access to
clean drinking waterwent from5% in 1991 to 61%in 2011.
Since 1990, more than
have gained access
to improved drinking water and proper sanitation, exceeding
Millennium Development Goaltargets and improving global
well-being.Health-related goals have been realized thanks to
clear targets and policies.
Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

11. Measurement and
clear targets matter
and are deeply connected.
The EPI helps policymakers take stock of the world’s
environment. Improvements this year give it the
greatest coverage yet: 178countries, 99% of the
world’s population, 98% of its landmass, 97%of its
GDP.
Credit: JoãoAraujo Pinto / UN Photo

12. The 2014 EPI:
A Global Scorecard for the Environment
Learn more about the 2014 EPI. Download the complete report, and
explore the data at: http://www.epi.yale.edu