Which countries are performing the best on Climate Protection?
“Climate change, in some regions, has aggravated conflict over scarce land, and could well trigger large-scale migration in the decades ahead. And rising sea levels put at risk the very survival of all small island states. These and other implications for peace and security have implications for the United Nations itself”. - Ban Ki-moon
As pointed out by the United Nations, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than expected. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, its effects are clearly visible worldwide. While positive steps have been taken in terms of the climate funding and the development of nationally determined contributions, deeper actions are still needed on mitigation and adaptation. Access to financial support and strengthened capacities need to be enhanced at a faster rate, in particular for developing countries and small island States.
As for the current situation in the different countries, the CCPI, an independent monitoring tool of countries' climate protection performance, provides recent and detailed data about climate change. In particular, the ranking results are defined by a country’s aggregated performance regarding 14 indicators within the four categories GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use and Climate Policy.
The Climate Change Performance Index 2019 results show the main regional differences in climate protection and performance within 56 countries and the EU. In general, no country performed well enough to reach the ranking very well in this year’s index. As a matter of fact, no country has yet made it to one of the top three places in the rankings, reaching the "Very high rating".
According to CCPI, in this year’s index Sweden leads the ranking, followed by Morocco and Lithuania. On the other hand, the bottom five in this year’s CCPI are Saudi Arabia, the United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei, scoring low or very low across almost all categories.
In order to reach Goal 13 and create action toward it, countries around the world should implement these targets suggested by the U.N.
Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our planet and its inhabitants. Through education, innovation and commitment to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, we can make the needed changes to protect the planet and prevent catastrophic effects. These changes will also provide great opportunities to modernize infrastructures, create new jobs and promote prosperity across the globe.
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