Azerbaijan pays great importance to solving environmental issues
Baku, February 11 (AZERTAC). The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2012 was developed by Yale and Columbia Universities of the US in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
The EPI 2012 rankings are comprised of both a snapshot of performance based on the latest available data (the 2012 EPI) and a trend rank based on performance over the last decade (the Trend EPI). Azerbaijan ranks 111th for the 2012 EPI and second for the Trend EPI.
The 2012 EPI ranks 132 countries on 22 performance indicators in the following ten policy categories: environmental health; water (effects on human health); air pollution (effects on human health); air pollution (ecosystem effects); water resources (ecosystem effects); biodiversity and habitat; forests; fisheries; agriculture; climate change.
Oil production has left some 10000 hectares of oil-contaminated lands in Absheron peninsula of Azerbaijan over past 150 years. Azerbaijani government has done a lot to clean up these lands in recent years.
The 2012 EPI report says Azerbaijan demonstrates positive trends in lowering rates of child mortality and improving air quality. The country ranks 86th in the environmental burden of disease (child morality) sphere for 2012 EPI and first for Pilot Trend Results. Azerbaijan has improved hazardous and toxic waste management and drinking water supply systems.
Azerbaijan ranks first in forest cover, growing stock and forest loss directions. Forest area has increased from 11.4 to 11.8 per cent of forest in total.
The country ranks 67th in climate change sector for 2012 EPI and first for Pilot Trend Results. Alternative energy development is one of the priorities for Azerbaijan. Hydrometeorological and Ecological Research Science Center was established in the country for investigating Bazarduzu-Shahdag-Tufandag Ecosystem.
Azerbaijan ranks 100th in 2012 EPI for biodiversity and habitat direction (critical habitat protection, marine protected areas, biome protection) and 45th in the Pilot Trend Results. In this direction, various activities have been carried out in the country: extension of the biological species, reintroduction of extirpated species back into their historical ranges, and others.
The country ranks 111th in water index (effects on human health) for 2012 EPI and 56th for Pilot Trend Results. The government has built centralized sanitation systems, improved water filtering equipments, and Caspian environment protection system.
Azerbaijan also ranks 111th in agriculture sector for 2012 EPI and 58th for Pilot Trend Results.
The country ranks 94th in ecosystem effects index for 2012 EPI and 24th for Trend Results.
Other news in this section
