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Data and indicators are increasingly critical for environmental policy making. Without them it is impossible to measure progress towards policy goals. The Environmental Performance Index (EPI), developed by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, represents one approach to measure progress towards established policy targets. This report provides the results of an effort, begun in July 2008, to apply the EPI methodology to environmental issues that are established priorities for Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD).

The report was developed in close consultation with EAD staff and AGEDI. The purpose is to provide a tool for assessing progress towards established targets, for priority setting, and potentially for resource allocation. The EPI framework groups indicators in two main policy objective areas, Environmental Health and Ecosystem Vitality, and then in a number of policy categories under them. The Abu Dhabi EPI has identified nine categories related to policy priorities and strategic plans. Raw data for each indicator are transformed into a proximity to target score from 0 (lowest possible) to 100 (highest possible).