Bahrain Takes Top Spot for Black Carbon Cuts
Bahrain has taken joint first place worldwide for cutting black carbon emissions, scoring a perfect 100 in one of the key measures used by the 2026 Environmental Performance Index.
The kingdom shared the top spot with Kuwait in the measure tracking the fall in black carbon emissions, while also ranking among three Gulf states at the head of the table for curbing bottom trawling in national waters.
The findings put Bahrain among the strongest Gulf performers in two areas with direct effects on air quality, the climate and marine life.
Its gains have also built over time. Bahrain’s overall Environmental Performance Index score rose by 2.26 points between 2016 and 2026, according to the latest weekly bulletin from the GCC Statistical Centre.
The six GCC states as a whole scored above the world average. Their mean score stood at 42.12 points, against 39.57 worldwide.
Bahrain’s perfect black carbon score tracks the drop in soot-like particles produced by the incomplete burning of fuels. Such emissions harm air quality and warm the atmosphere.
At sea, Bahrain was one of three Gulf countries ranked first worldwide for limiting bottom trawling within national waters. The fishing method drags nets across the seabed and can damage habitats, marine species and fish stocks.
Gulf countries also scored well in waste management, household exposure to pollution from solid fuels and other measures of air quality.
Their results in ecosystem health covered biodiversity, natural habitats, marine resources, overfishing and the safe treatment of wastewater.
Climate measures showed gains in cutting emissions and tackling the effects of a warming planet, with Bahrain’s black carbon score standing out among the Gulf results.
The Environmental Performance Index ranks 177 countries using 47 measures across 12 fields. These fall under three main headings: environmental health, ecosystem vitality and climate change policy. It is used to track progress towards environmental goals and compare how countries fare across a range of environmental measures.
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