The 2022 Environment Performance Index (EPI), which evaluates countries on their track record in mitigating climate change, improving environmental health, and protecting ecosystem vitality, has ranked India last – at 180th out of 180 countries. The government of India has rejected the Index, claiming that it is based on “biased metrics”. The report, produced by researchers from Yale and Columbia Universities, has ranked Denmark at the top with a score of 77.90, while India is at the bottom with a score of 18.90. So, what is the EPI all about? How valid are the government’s claims that its metrics are biased and unfair to India? Can it reshape environmental policy, or change the way countries take decisions that impact the environment? Guest: Kanchi Kohli from the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac