European countries top 'scorecard' on climate progress while US slips to 27th

Yale's biennial Environmental Performance Index ranks Estonia first among 177 countries assessed, with Luxembourg second and UK third, showing that much of the world has made encouraging strides in reducing water and air pollution, though climate progress remains uneven.

The scorecard measures progress on 47 environmental indicators including pollution reduction and ecosystem protection, but few countries are on track to meet net zero commitments.