The record of India and China in terms of lowering greenhouse gas emissions is quite bad. An American group has ranked India at the bottom of a list of 180 nations according to their environmental performance. Denmark topped the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network's Environmental Performance Index (EPI) for 2022.

Denmark is followed by the United Kingdom and Finland. In recent years, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Finland have topped the list of countries with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. According to the research, India has been put at the bottom of this list for the first time owing to its exceedingly hazardous air quality levels and quickly rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The situation in America is also not favorable.

For the preparation of the EPI, forty performance indicators have been used, which have been grouped into eleven categories. These metrics demonstrate a country's proximity to its environmental policy objectives. This index determines the ranking of 180 nations based on their climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality. India received the lowest score of 18.9 out of 180 nations in the most recent assessment. Myanmar (19.4), Vietnam (20.1), Bangladesh (23.1), and Pakistan (24.6) similarly rank poorly in terms of accomplishing environmental policy objectives. The low score indicates that these nations have prioritized economic expansion above environmental sustainability. China is placed 161 on this ranking with a total of 28.4 points. The United States ranks 22nd among the 22 wealthiest democratic nations in the West and 42nd overall. According to the EPI research, the United States' rating has decreased owing to the Trump administration's disregard for environmental preservation. Russia is ranked 112nd on this list.

What are the 2050 projections?

This analysis estimates that by 2050, China will be the world's greatest emitter of greenhouse gases, with India ranking second. Despite the fact that these governments have lately pledged to decrease pollution, the estimates for the future are concerning. According to the analysis, just a few nations, such as Denmark and the United Kingdom, can achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050, while major countries such as China, India, and Russia are headed in the other direction. In other words, greenhouse gas emissions are growing here. If the present trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions continues, the EPI predicts that more than 50 percent will originate from just four countries: China, India, the United States, and Russia.

(Input: PTI)