December 8, 2020: Sweden has been ranked highest at the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) released by Germanwatch on December 7. Sweden, the UK, and Denmark were officially ranked at fourth, fifth and sixth place. Similar to last year, the top three spots have been left blank this year. India slipped one spot to 10th this year.
The 2021 report states that no country performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall “very high” rating. Sweden reached the best ranking with a “high” in the categories Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Renewable Energy and Climate Policy. This year’s index rated the emissions before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CCPI has been published annually since 2005 and tracks the climate protection performance of 57 countries and the EU. These countries together generate 90%+ of global greenhouse gas emissions. The non-profit organisation Germanwatch publishes the annual report in cooperation with New Climate Institute, and Climate Action Network International. The report is also presented at the annual UN Climate Change Conference.
The CCPI report assesses the climate protection efforts taken by countries. The report aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries. The countries under consideration are assessed based on 14 indicators in 4 major categories – GHG emissions (40%), renewable energy (20%), energy use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%). Around 80% of assessment is based on quantitative data from internationally recognised institutions and the remaining 20% is based on a unique Climate Policy section. The quantitative data is obtained from the reputed international organisations like International Energy Agency (IEA), PRIMAP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the national GHG inventories submitted to the UNFCCC. The remaining 20% assessment based on the Climate Policy Section includes National Climate Policy and International Climate Policy.
The US has been ranked last for the second consecutive year. The US is the highest historical polluter and pulled out from the Paris Climate Agreement last year.
