The latest Climate Protection Index evaluates countries’ climate efforts, revealing Germany’s decline to 16th place due to high emissions from transport and buildings. Northern European nations excel in renewable energy, while oil-dependent countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia rank lowest. The USA follows China at 57th, facing challenges despite some positive trends. Upcoming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aim to enhance climate strategies, yet current global efforts remain inadequate to meet Paris Agreement goals.
Climate Protection Performance by Country: Key Insights from the Latest Index
The latest Climate Protection Index reveals how different nations are performing in their climate protection efforts. While Germany finds itself in a mediocre position, dropping two places to rank 16th, Northern European countries are leading the way.
Climate Trends at the Baku Conference
At the ongoing climate conference in Baku, discussions focus on the rapid expansion of wind and solar energy. Yet, as Thea Uhlich from the environmental organization Germanwatch points out, this positive momentum is overshadowed by rising emissions. “The emissions peak has not yet been reached,” she states, emphasizing that emissions are the critical metric in the fight against global warming.
Each year, Uhlich collaborates with her colleague Jan Burck and researchers from the New Climate Institute to evaluate the climate protection standings of 64 countries. They assess performance based on four key categories: reduction of greenhouse gases, growth of renewable energy, promotion of energy efficiency, and robust climate policies.
Leading the renewable energy category this year are Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. “This is the first time we can occupy all three places,” Uhlich remarks, highlighting the progress in renewable energy. However, the absence of any country in the top three reflects that no nation is doing enough to meet the Paris climate goals.
Germany’s Climate Challenges
Germany’s performance has been lackluster, dropping two places and landing at 16th. The primary culprits for this decline are the high greenhouse gas emissions stemming from the transport and building sectors. Expert Burck suggests that Germany could learn valuable lessons from Denmark, which overcame similar challenges by consistently pursuing ambitious climate policies without interruption in renewable energy expansion.
Oil-Producing Nations Fall Behind
In stark contrast, oil-rich countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia rank at the bottom of the index. Uhlich notes, “It’s a classic in the climate protection index that these states really stand at the bottom,” primarily due to their reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.
China, despite being the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, shows potential for improvement. Currently positioned at 55th, there are signs that if it continues to expand renewable energy and phase out coal, it could rise in future rankings.
USA’s Position and Future Outlook
Ranking two spots below China, the USA finds itself at 57th due to high per capita emissions. Although there are positive trends from the Inflation Reduction Act, uncertainty looms regarding the continuity of these efforts under a new presidential administration.
The most significant declines in rankings were observed in Switzerland, which plummeted twelve places to 33rd, and Finland, which dropped eleven places to 37th. In contrast, the UK made notable strides, climbing from 20th to 6th place.
Upcoming National Climate Plans
The Climate Protection Index aims to clarify the current status of countries in their climate protection efforts. By February of next year, nations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are expected to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Uhlich hopes that the index will inspire countries to enhance their climate strategies. “We naturally hope that this can encourage these NDCs to be formulated a bit better or to be more ambitious,” she says. The ultimate goal remains to reduce global greenhouse gases, ideally starting from 2026, with hopes that the peak of emissions might even be reached next year.
Since 2005, Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute, and the Climate Action Network have been publishing the Climate Protection Index to gauge how actively countries are addressing global warming. While many nations prioritize climate protection, the authors stress that current efforts are still insufficient to meet the objectives set during the 2015 World Climate Conference in Paris, which aimed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Achieving this will require a decisive and rapid transition away from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.