UAE Tops Arab World in Yale's 2026 Environmental Performance Index

The UAE has ranked first in the Arab world in Yale University's 2026 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which evaluates 177 countries across 47 indicators measuring environmental health, ecosystem vitality and climate change. The country achieved a perfect score of 100 in waste management, placing it first globally in the category. It also scored 100 in the bottom trawling fisheries indicator, recorded 94.99% in wastewater treatment to rank 19th worldwide, and placed ninth globally for the protection of marine Key Biodiversity Areas while leading the Arab region in the category. Minister of Climate Change and Environment Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak said the results reflect the UAE's long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, describing sustainability as a core national value. The rankings come as the UAE continues to expand its renewable energy capacity. Installed renewable energy capacity grew by 117% between 2022 and 2025, supported by projects including Noor Abu Dhabi and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. A USD 6 billion project being developed by Masdar and the Emirates Water and Electricity Company near Abu Dhabi will combine 5.2 GW of solar capacity with 19 GWh of battery storage, creating what is expected to be the world's largest continuous solar-plus-storage facility. The UAE has also committed to planting 100 million mangrove trees by 2030, with more than 50 million already planted across the country. Protected terrestrial and marine areas now cover more than 19% of the UAE's territory, while AI-equipped drones, satellite monitoring and machine learning technologies are being used to support mangrove restoration and track blue carbon sequestration.