Indexing The Environment
charticle
the
environment
In 2006 Yale University , in collaboration with Columbia University, developed an Environmental
Protection Index (EPI) that it applied in full in 2008. The goal: to create a comparative index of
environmental policy to understand what governments are doing to protect their citizens’ health
(environmental health) and the global environment (ecosystem vitality). The individual measures
within those categories and their weights are displayed below. But here’s the problem: the EPI relies on
the best environmental data available. In practice this means that 89 countries or territories aren’t
included— 24 of them in our hemisphere (see lower right). Lack of credible data also prevented the
inclusion of several key topics listed below. Let’s hope the EPI, together with public engagement, can
help prod countries to provide this information. To see the full report, visit: http://epi.yale.edu
Environmental
Health (50%)
Ecosystem
Vitality (50%) + =
EPI
Environmental
Performance Index
Environmental
Burden of Disease
Air Pollution
(Effects on Humans)
• urban particulates
• indoor air pollution
• local ozone
Water
(Effects on Humans)
• adequate sanitation
• drinking water
Climate Change
• emissions per capita
• emissions per electricity generation
• industrial carbon intensity
Productive Natural Resources
• fisheries
• forestry
• agriculture
Biodiversity & Habitat
Water (Effects on Nature)
• water quality
• water stress
Air Pollution (Effects on Nature)
• regional ozone
• sulfur dioxide emissions
What’s Not Included:
Wetland Loss
29 countries in
the hemisphere,
representing a
total of 1,316,394
acres ( 53,272,573
hectares) of
wetland area, are
signatories to
the International
Convention for
the Conservation
of Wetlands. Systematic reporting,
though, is limited.
Ecosystem
Fragmentation
While some countries such as the
Netherlands and
Germany provide
information on
maintaining ecological systems intact, there are no
global statistics or
indicators.
Heavy Metal
Exposure
There are no
international
guidelines for the
levels of lead and
mercury exposure—though 140
countries recently
agreed to craft the
world’s first treaty
on mercury emissions. Thirty-three
countries in the
hemisphere have
signed the Basel
Convention governing transport
of mercury.
Persistent
Organic
Pollutants
Although 33 countries have signed
the Stockholm
Convention to
eliminate results
of the production and use of
persistent organic
pollutants, by
March 2009, only
eight countries
in the region
(Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Costa Rica,
Mexico, and Uruguay) had submitted their national
reports.
Nuclear
Reactor Safety
and Waste
Handling
Currently, in the
Americas this
only applies to
Argentina, Brazil,
Canada, Mexico,
and the U.S. who
have nuclear
capacity. All have
been transparent
and compliant.
Recycling
Rates
Unfortunately the
recycling information is spotty at
best. Part of this
is the lack of a
comprehensive
treaty on recycling. But much
of it is also the
variety of materials recycled. Just
consider all the
categories of
waste: consumption and production, mining,
manufacturing,
agriculture, and
transport.
Environmental
Regulation
Enforcement
Despite being
one of the critical
areas for environmental protection,
worldwide data
on environmental
laws and enforcement don’t exist.
The International
Network for
Environmental
Compliance and
Enforcement
(INECE), an informal association of
governments and
NGOs, only has
voluntary reporting for participating countries.
50 Americas Quarterly FALL 2009
