THE US and China continue to languish near the bottom of this year’s Climate Change Performance Index, released here yesterday by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network (Can) Europe.
Ireland, however, has moved up a notch to 20th place among the 57 countries surveyed – largely due to the recession-induced fall in its carbon emissions and more positive climate-related policies.
Germanwatch’s Jan Burck, lead author of the index, said that after the inconclusive outcome of last December’s Copenhagen climate summit, it was a “pleasant surprise” to find that national actions had improved in a number of countries.
“For the first time [since the index was inaugurated], national policies have been graded better than international policies,” Mr Burck said. “We will see whether Cancún will be able to translate these national actions into a positive international dynamic.”
As previously, the latest index evaluated and ranked the 60 highest-emitting countries based on their emissions and climate policies. This year, more than 190 experts from these countries assisted in creation of the index by analysing national policies.
This year’s index ranks Brazil, Sweden, Norway and Germany in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh places respectively. The first three places were again left vacant as no countries did well enough, according to the authors, to fill these premier slots.
At the other end of the scale, Saudi Arabia came in last, behind Kazakhstan, Australia and Canada. The world’s two biggest emitters, China and the US, dropped a few ranks compared to last year, with China now ranked 56th and the US 54th.
But Can Europe’s Matthias Duwe noted that China had improved its climate policies, “including legislation on renewable energy, which has already made it the world leader in wind energy investments”.
The US was cited as a “clear exception” to the trend towards stronger national climate policies due to the senate’s decision last July to block new climate legislation as well as “a very poor performance” on per capita emissions – still among the world’s highest.
“It is good to see Brazil hanging on to the ‘top’ spot, as last year it was the first developing country to have this honour,” Mr Burck said, adding that this was due to its emissions trend, national policies and a marked decrease in deforestation in the Amazon region.
One contributing factor to this year’s index was the financial crisis, which had a positive side effect on emissions trends and, consequently, on rankings. The loss in industrial production resulted in some countries exceeding reduction targets.
“While China remains the world’s largest CO2 emitter . . . the focus on national emissions reduction policy is rapidly intensifying through nationally binding energy intensity reduction targets and a 3 per cent renewable energy portfolio requirement.
“Thanks to President Barack Obama, the US has experienced a boost in climate protection policy in contrast to during the George W Bush administration . . . Also, the [US] Environmental Protection Agency can now use its use authority to regulate greenhouse gases,” the authors said.
One very dramatic change in the index is Denmark’s large drop by 16 places (from 17 to 33), mainly due to its low score for international climate policy – notably “the tragedy of the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen”, for which the Danish leadership was blamed.
Asked whether it was really fair to put Norway so far ahead, given its oil and hydropower resources, compared to Denmark’s absence of either, the authors said this was based on “objective criteria” as both countries had the same obligations to reduce emissions.
Among other European countries, Poland gets a low ranking because it is blamed for blocking more ambitious EU targets to cut emissions overall by 30 per cent by 2020 and contribute more generously to the climate fund for developing countries.
Germany’s national policy, especially the recent release of its “energy concept” (including a reprieve for nuclear plants), received “predominantly negative feedback” from experts involved in compiling the index, causing the country to fall in the rankings.
The lowest rank in climate policy is held by Saudi Arabia.
“Through its vast financial resources and capability for solar and hydrogen-based energy, it has the opportunity to be a large part of the solution to climate change,” according to the authors.
“However, as evident by its extremely high emissions levels and trends and lack of positive policy approaches, Saudi Arabia remains a considerable part of the problem.”
DEVELOPING WORLD CLIMATE FUND 'UNFAIRLY SKEWED'
FUNDS PLEDGED by rich countries to help poorer ones cope with climate change are skewed heavily against measures to assist them in adapting to its potentially devastating impacts, according to former president Mary Robinson.
In Cancun, in her capacity as honorary president of Oxfam International, Mrs Robinson said that 80 per cent of the $30 billion (€22.5 billion) in "fast-start" financing over the next two years would go instead to "mitigation" – reducing carbon emissions from developing countries.
"It is clear that any fair climate fund will need to be split more evenly, with 50 per cent for adaptation and 50 per cent for mitigation."
Mrs Robinson added that Bangladesh – one of the countries most prone to flooding – had put forward such an equitable formula.
She also called for a much greater emphasis on the "gender dimension" by having more women on the board of the climate fund, given that they were "coping at the coalface, on the ground" with the consequences of climate change in developing countries.
Mrs Robinson later co-hosted a meeting with Patricia Espinosa, the Mexican foreign minister and chair of the UN's Cancun conference. Others taking part were EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary Christiana Figueres.
"The good news, I think, is that the UNFCCC is not broken – it is constructively and quietly moving forward," the former president said in reviewing the progress being made after the first week.
"I know countries have a lot of internal things to address . . . but the atmosphere is good and the texts are there now for delegates to negotiate."
