Europe is leading the way in the fight against climate change, according to the 2007 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). The Index ranked 56 countries (together making up over 90% of global carbon dioxide emissions) based on their domestic and international efforts to combat climate change. Sweden is ranked number one and is joined by six other European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, in the top 10. The world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, the United States and China, are ranked 53 and 54, respectively.
Index Analyzes Three Key Areas
Germanwatch, a non-profit environmental group, scored countries based on three factors:
- emissions trends (50% weighting),
- emissions levels (30%), and
- climate policy (20%).
The United States' low ranking was largely a result of poor performance under the policy criterion. Germanwatch political director Christoph Bals stated that the U.S. could move up over 30 spots by implementing policies comparable to those of the United Kingdom, for example. China, on the other hand, scored positively with regard to policy but was held back significantly by rapidly increasing emission levels.
No Country Is Doing Enough
Overall, the CCPI results show that current international efforts to tackle climate change are inadequate. Progress has been slow even among the highest ranking countries and global greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise. According to Matthias Duwe of Climate Action Network Europe, "If climate change protection was an Olympic discipline, no country would make it to the medal ranks."
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Climate Change Performance Index
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