Air Quality, Ecosystems, Climate Policy: Where India Scored Worst

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) published its 2026 report, and India, the world’s 6th largest economy, is ranked 176th among 177 countries, marking a disastrous achievement in environmental protection.

The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is a global quantification that monitors the environmental practices and policies of a state and their subsequent upshot in keeping the ecosystem clean and healthy. Started in 2002 as a collaborative initiative between Yale University and the World Economic Forum, the quantification focuses on analysing three major factors, i.e. overall environmental health of a country, ecosystem vitality, and climate change, for the state on a biennial basis. Initially, the system takes all 195 countries into account, analyses them based on the chosen set of indicators such as forest loss, ph. levels, water quality, etc., with the help of international sources such as satellite data, WHO, and the World Bank. However, it is not necessary that all countries should make it to the concluding list, as many may lack the required resources for acquiring the prescribed indicators. Hence, only those countries that clear the majority of the indicators end up on the EPI list.

India’s performance over the past few years has been recorded as the worst among all the South Asian countries. Ever since the start, the state has only shown considerable improvement on two separate occasions. Firstly, in 2016 and secondly in 2020, ranking 141/180 and 168/180, respectively. In 2022, India recorded its worst performance, ranking 180/180 countries, with the remaining years just barely dodging the threshold. In 2026, it has made it to the second-to-last position, falling way behind its neighbours, such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and China, who have shown much more considerable rates of improvement over the last few years. So, why is it that India, despite being a leading global economy, consistently fails to protect its environment?

Starting with the first major factor: air quality. The decline of air quality in India has been attributed to various reasons such as rapid industrialisation, biomass burning on a regular basis, rampant deforestation, and unsupervised vehicle emissions. In 2026, the Environmental Science and Pollution Research accounted for the thermal-powered plants in India as the primary culprit of air pollution. These industries emit 51% of sulphur dioxide, which is a visible contributor to acid rain and the subsequent destruction of forests and aquatic life. The lack of proper supervision of pollution control in vehicles is another identified reason for the large emissions of pollutants, and so is the choice for deiseal induced vehicles. The subjective practice of biomass burning in village households is increasing due to the lack of proper waste disposal facilities, contributing to the increase of greenhouse gases.

India is the world's largest hub of vast woodlands and biodiversity spots, whose existence has cultivated civilisations for ages. However, in the past few years, there has been a tremendous wave of forest clearance in India for various industrial purposes. This year alone records significant deforestation rates, especially in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where 130sq.km of virgin rainforest has been entirely wiped out for a mega infrastructure project. Similarly, the Hasdeo Arand Forest in Chhattisgarh has been government-approved for the further extension of the coal mining industry. These development projects are being protested by tribal communities, who face the threat of displacement from their ancestral lands, and environmental activists and residents, over rising concerns about green sustainability.

India has always been a keen enthusiast in mitigating global warming by being an active participant in international and national schemes, for which it has been applauded and admired by many. Nevertheless, it has been observed that there is a huge gap between the approved policies and their application in real life. For example, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), introduced in 2019, failed in its agenda due to the wrong target metric and low-quality data analysis. The majority of the industries, such as petroleum and cement plants, are geographically located in the wrong places, around Central and East India and the Indo-Gangetic Plains, which are the hub of India’s densest forest population. Despite the court’s assurance of wildlife protection and environmental safety, the large-scale destruction does not assure safety and future stability.

The government’s response to the EPI measures is always met with denial and opposition, without articulating any considerable efforts in understanding the depth of the ongoing problems. The EPI report of 2022 was strongly retorted by the government, condemning it as biased and curated on unscientific methods. Even now, in 2026, the ministry argues that several of the indicators are measured on faulty parameters and alleges that the measuring tools are unsuitable to the environmental realities of India. This staunch reluctance to accept the ongoing reality and the failure to attend to the needs of the tribal communities shows a major shift in the governmental focus from people to profit.

Environment in its every essence is the defining characteristic of India. The eco-diversity possessed by the state has been a miraculous boon for its inhabitants since ages past, topped by its unique seasonal monsoon leading to abundance of greenery and agricultural production. The current fluctuation in climate patterns and the consequent natural disasters in various parts of the country are clear indicators of the ongoing exploitation. The unpredictable rainfall patterns, fatal earthquakes, flash floods and landslides are the repercussions of long-term ignorance and ineffective measures. The EPI report is indeed the last straw for the Indian government regarding its stance on the environment. The findings serve as an eye-opener that requires considerable attention and effort to mitigate the sources of such outcomes; otherwise, it could be a major downfall for India itself.

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