Although no nation gets an A, our country climbs 11 rungs in its climate commitment

No country scores exceptionally high in its commitment to climate change. This is the main finding of the 2023 Climate Change Performance Index, which places Spain ranks 23rd out of the 60 countries analyzed, which together account for 92% of the emissions responsible for global warming. Our country climbs 11 places compared to the previous index, mainly due to the impetus provided by the law on climate change and ecological transition. It is therefore among the states with average performance. Denmark is at the top of the list in which the first three positions, reserved for very high yields, remain empty for another year.

This ranking, which is in its 18th edition, is prepared annually by the NGOs GermanWatch and Climate Action Network Europe, of which SEO/BirdLife is an active part, based on assessments made by experts from each country. In the case of Spain, the GCTFNN.

The index analyzes four indicators: greenhouse gas emissions per capita, energy consumption, renewable energy deployment trends and national climate policies. According to the analysis, none of the countries was strong enough in all categories to achieve a very high overall score. Denmark remains at a remarkable level, close to 79.61 out of 100, followed by Norway, with 73.28 out of 100.Spain scores 58.59 out of 100 as an overall calculation. It ranks 17th out of 62 in terms of climate policy, 20th in terms of emissions, 21st in terms of energy use and 30th in terms of renewable energy. Analysts hail momentum of ambition enshrined in climate change law approved last year, stress need to remove fossil fuel subsidies and improve citizen participation in renewable projects to support a transition fair ecological.

countries suspended

China, Japan, United States, Hungary, Poland, Australia, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Canada, Russia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and Iran, in that order, are all in the red zone of “climate desperation”, occupying the ranking less than 50 on the list.

Included in this list of failures are nine of the 16 largest fossil fuel producers, which collectively extract about 70% of all fossil fuels in the world. All but Canada have a low or very low share of renewable energy.

Chile has been named “champion” of the 2023 list. Since its inclusion in the index in 2020, it has ranked high mainly due to its low emissions per capita. This year it moved up three places on its legislative push, pledging to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Russia, on the other hand, was called a “loser” due to its weak performance in the index, its low penetration of renewable energies – barely 3% – and, above all, due to the effect of the war in Ukraine, which promotes the use of fossil fuels on a global scale.

The duties of the G20 and the EU

The index sends a general message to the Group of Twenty, known as the G20, which met recently in Bali (Indonesia) and which represents 75% of global gas emissions. Along with India (8th), the UK (11th) and Germany (16th), only three G20 countries are among the top performers in the 2023 index. Twelve G20 countries receive a low or very low overall score . Canada, Russia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia have the worst results.

The European Union, which is part of the G20, is analyzed as a whole by the index. This year, the strengthening of Community ambition allows the Union to move up three places to position itself 19about to get a high ranking.

Nine EU countries feature among the high and medium scores, including Spain, which achieves the second best climb of an EU country, only preceded by Estonia, which manages to climb 23 places. France, on the other hand, falls 11 places and ranks 28th, mainly due to its lower ranking in the Climate Policy category compared to the previous year. Hungary (53rd) and Poland (54th) are the EU members with the worst data.

Analysts hail surge in European climate ambition, but remember that their commitments are not aligned with what is needed to keep global warming below 1.5°C, the limit for maintaining relative climate stability. They argue that it is necessary to advance zero emissions to 2040 in the EU and point out that the express energy diversification that caused the war in Ukraine, which led EU countries to seek fossil fuels in Africa and the development of infrastructure in this In this sense, it cannot call into question the decarbonization path that had been initiated.

Access the full report here: https://ccpi.org/

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Contact for the Environment section: crisesclimatica@prensaiberica.es