There’s an interest feature on the German Innovations Report that questions the recently-released Environmental Performance Index. The author states that the European Environment Agency’s State of the Environment Report and the German Federal Environmental Agency’s Umweltbarometer are much better suited for the task.

The author questions the addition of more indicators (from 16 to 25) in the EPI, and the inability to compare results from year to year because of the creeping indicator set. He also suggests that the bias toward wealthy states is illegitimate, disagreeing with the EPI’s assertion that ‘wealth is a major determinant of environmental success.’

I hope this piece spurs some healthy debate. We really can’t afford so many regionalised indicators. If the European Union has a better means, why not tie into it? If Germany has it dialed in, then let’s incorporate these inputs. Let’s standardize a global environmental indicator set, and put sensors in place to monitor our progress.

Our planet has a fever, and it’s time for a doctor’s visit. This means we need to get the best and the brightest to work on this illness.

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