A new report by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe shows Denmark leading all other nations in efforts to combat climate change.
The Climate Change Performance Index 2014 actually lists Denmark’s performance #4 globally. No countries made it into the top three spots again this year. The index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of the 58 countries that are responsible for 90 percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
The report was first issued in 2005 to provide a transparent view of national and international climate policy. Germanwatch and Climate Action Network, with the help of over 250 energy and climate experts from all over the world, reviewed each country’s national and international policies with respect to their efforts to avoid climate change.
The report says that Denmark improved its performance in nearly every sector measured compared with the previous year.
The United Kingdom ranked #5 on the Climate Change Performance Index by decreasing its emissions 15 percent in the last five years, based largely on its investments in renewable energy.
The rest of the top 10 best performers, in descending order, are: Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Malta and France.
The Netherlands improved the most, increasing its ranking by 18 to #31. The U.S. ranked forty-third overall on the index.
The bottom 10, in ascending order, are Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Canada, Australia, Russia, Estonia, Turkey, Korea and Taiwan.
Probably the best news in the report is that the world’s biggest carbon dioxide emitter, China, improved its performance, ranking forty-sixth in the new report. China has made significant investments in renewable energies and is reconsidering its dependence on coal, which has led to a significant smog problem in the country’s cities.
The top 10 worst carbon dioxide emitters in the new report, in descending order of emissions, are: China, U.S., India, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia, Germany, Korea and Canada. These 10 countries represent nearly two-thirds of all carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.