Environmental Performance of Advanced and Emerging Market Economies: A Comparative Analysis of G7 and E7 Countries

The systematic monitoring and analysis of environmental performance levels are of critical importance for countries to develop effective solutions and strategies to combat environmental degradation and climate change. In this context, a careful examination of national environmental performance is essential for identifying key factors driving environmental issues and for formulating appropriate policies. The significance of specific environmental indicators may vary depending on a country's level of economic development, leading to differences in the applicable policy frameworks. Accordingly, this study analyzes the environmental performance of G7 and E7 countries using the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) data through an integrated CRITIC-COPRAS approach. The CRITIC method was employed to determine and compare the weights of environmental performance criteria based on their relative importance for both country groups, while the COPRAS method was utilized to rank the countries according to their overall environmental performance. The analysis reveals that air pollution and heavy metals are among the most critical criteria in both groups. However, sanitation and drinking water emerged as high-weighted criteria for the G7 countries, whereas forests held significant weight for the E7 group. Among the G7 countries, Germany demonstrated the highest environmental performance, while Brazil stood out within the E7 group.