2026 EPI: Climate Bright Spots but Slow Progress Globally

Europe continues to outperform most of the world in climate action, according to the 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), a data-driven, biennial scorecard of sustainability efforts produced by Yale School of the Environment and Columbia University researchers. Driven by significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction, European countries make up the entire top 10.

Yet, many of those same countries are struggling to manage the environmental consequences of agriculture. Even continued success on climate is not guaranteed, the researchers warn, as many of the strategies that have driven Europe’s strong performance reach their natural limits. Top-ranked Estonia, for example, secured its ranking almost entirely due to its steep drop in emissions, a trend that will stabilize as they close the last of their dirty oil shale plants.

“They achieved an impressive 40% cut in their greenhouse gas emissions, but you can only do that trick once. We always encourage countries to start with the low-hanging fruit, but that was like an apple the size of a beach ball,” said EPI Project Director Zach Wendling. “If we really want to drive to net zero, then it’s going to take continued effort, bolder strategies, and more ambitious plans for the future.”

Meanwhile, unsustainable agricultural practices and ecosystem impacts continue to drive down rankings around the world, including in Europe. Research has shown that excessive fertilizer use is a significant source of pollution and water degradation; yet demand for food, feed, and biofuel is only expected to increase in the coming decades. Some countries are grappling with limited access to agricultural resources and others with intensifying, often unsustainable, production driven by political and economic forces — challenges that are compounded, the researchers say, by the limited availability of ground-truthed agricultural data.

“Agriculture is fundamental to environmental stewardship, accounting for about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the majority of freshwater use, and serving as a main driver of deforestation and other environmental impacts,” said Xin Zhang, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science who helped develop the methodology for the sustainable nitrogen management index, a measure of fertilizer efficiency where the EU continues to struggle. “At the same time, it remains one of the most challenging sectors for environmental policy, and the political influence of the farming sector, together with long-established institutions and policies, makes change difficult.”

The EPI, which is in its 25th year, is produced by an interdisciplinary team at the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, with support from the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions and Columbia University. 

The report ranks 177 countries over 47 indicators. Compared to previous years, countries have made valuable improvements in air pollution management, but progress has slowed globally on a number of other challenges, and few nations are fully on track to meet net zero greenhouse gas emissions goals by 2050. 

Wealth continues to be the greatest predictor of success, reflecting which countries have both the financial capital to invest in infrastructure and the political capital to, as Wendling says, “not just pass effective policies but actually implement them — and have citizens able to hold policymakers accountable.” That said, the rankings point to several countries that break the pattern. Many nations in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, lead in biodiversity and habitat protection, while the United States ranks 27th, well below the EU.

“Government officials around the world continue to tell us how valuable the Environmental Performance Index is a guide to policymaking — offering a fact-based tool that highlights best practices on a range of critical issues," said Daniel Esty, the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy and director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. “What we’ve seen over the 25 years we’ve been publishing the Index is that a signal that you’re lagging your peers on a specific issue can be a powerful motivator for change."

Most metrics in the 2026 EPI use data through 2024.That means that current rankings do not fully capture the ongoing war in Ukraine, the recent data center build out, the latest policy changes in the U.S., or the significant disruptions from the war in Iran, which has hampered economic activity and caused major shocks to fertilizer and energy prices. 

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These conflicts, the researchers say, will lead to fluctuations in scores in the near future that could hurt countries’ rankings on some issues and help on others. They have also highlighted the national security advantages of clean energy and more efficient fertilizer use in ways that could accelerate sustainability efforts in the longer term; indeed, many countries have already reported fast-tracking renewable energy projects to minimize fossil fuel imports, which could influence EPI rankings in the future.

Going forward, the team is evolving the EPI to better capture these dynamic changes and capitalize on the proliferation of data from new artificial intelligence and satellite tools. For example, a satellite-based indicator on grasslands extent with data from the Global Pasture Watch research consortium, new to the EPI, showcases the value of grassland ecosystems for biodiversity protection, resilient livelihoods, and carbon sequestration.

 Rather than a static scorecard, the EPI is evolving into a living, interactive tool — enhanced by AI. That way it can be regularly updated and more easily incorporated into policy and practical guidance for countries looking to pursue a more sustainable future.

 “Decision makers want and need real-time, methodologically rigorous, and accessible data to deliver a sustainable future,” Esty said. "Our ambition is to update the Environmental Performance Index for a fast-moving, AI-infused, and digitally connected era so that those who need it have access to data that is relevant, accurate, and immediate.”