Dehradun, Sept. 28 -- Uttarakhand's Gross Environment Product (GEP) rose to 2.49 in 2025, compared with 0.95 in the last reported assessment for 2022, according to a report prepared by environmentalist Dr Anil Prakash Joshi. Joshi, founder of the Dehradun-based Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), said, "The GEP index is an integrated metric designed to assess ecological development resulting from human interventions. It evaluates environmental performance across four key pillars: air, water, soil and forests. The composite score is calculated from the indices of the four pillars". "The 2025 score was about 24.5% above 2023 baseline, indicating a sustained net improvement in the state's environmental performance. The GEP stood at 2.00 in the 2023 base year and rose to 3.88 in 2024 before easing to 2.49 in 2025," he said. "The composite score is the sum of the four pillar indices. The 2025 score is about 24.5% above the 2023 baseline, showing a sustained net improvement in the state's environmental performance," Joshi said. He said forest cover had continued to show steady gains, with more trees planted each year. Certified organic land had also expanded, while hill towns in the state continued to record good air quality, he said. However, Joshi said the GEP score had declined from its exceptionally strong 2024 level, primarily because of year-to-year variations in water resources. "After an exceptionally strong 2024, the score eased in 2025. This was largely because of the natural year-to-year variation in water resources," he said. Joshi said water resources, along with air quality in plains and valley cities, remained areas requiring continued attention in the next assessment cycle. The GEP concept was conceived in 2011 and formally accepted by the Uttarakhand government in 2021, Joshi said. The index is intended to help policymakers assess human efforts to improve environmental conditions alongside economic growth and development. "GEP quantifies and assesses human efforts to improve the environment alongside economic growth and development. It recognises that human well-being and ecological growth are interdependent, and that sustainable development necessitates a more holistic and balanced approach," Joshi said. The GEP framework seeks to provide a measure of ecological performance alongside conventional economic indicators. By assessing air, water, soil and forest conditions together, it aims to provide a broader picture of the relationship between development and environmental sustainability, he said....